Remembrance
by littlebeachhut
Summary: Jasper didn't think his life would change when his family moved to Forks. He was wrong. Forks isn't the same it used to be, there's different kinds of Supernatural beings residing there now. One of them is Amelia Clark, a girl who turns out to be a witch, and suddenly the family is involved in trying to keep her alive. Why is she so familiar?
1. Chapter One

**Part One **

**January 2004**

_Amelia, _

_I'm coming home early today. Don't forget to take a jacket to school and there's some money on the counter for lunch this week. I'll see you for dinner. _

_Love, Mom._

With a happy sigh, Amelia crumpled up the note and threw it in the trash can near the sink. She grabbed the money and stuffed it in her back pocket with no intention to use it just yet. There was food in the fridge and pantry, no need to eat out. The money on the table was probably her mother's way to alleviate some of the guilt she probably felt for being absent so much. Her mother was an ER nurse at the local hospital in Forks and worked long hours, leaving Amelia home alone a couple times a week. To her credit, they lived across the street from the Chief of Police's house and the probability of a break-in was highly unlikely. Unless the burglar was stupid, Amelia didn't see anything dangerous happening on their street. Technically, she could go out at night for a jog or walk and have the certainty that she was safe; a big change from Houston where only certain neighborhoods, the more expensive ones, were safe enough and even then it was better to be on the lookout. Ana and her mother could never afford to live in an expensive neighborhood like Bellaire or The Woodlands, though.

Forks was a small, boring rural town in Washington where rain was always falling**, **and winters felt unforgiving. Since Amelia moved to the quaint little town, she was always cold. Even during the summer when temperatures reached the 70s, the days were still gloomy, and wet several days out of the month. Amelia wasn't sure she would ever get used to those short days and long chilly nights. What she did get used to was being part of the community. It had only been a couple of months since she moved to the small town and already Amelia felt like she belonged, like she was part of something. Everyone knew everyone in town. Sometimes it was a bother because everyone could be quite nosy but most of the time Amelia relished knowing her life changed for the better when her mother moved them.

For one, now she was closer to her father and had the chance to get to know him. After the divorce, Aaron decided to move back to the town his parents grew up in. Amelia didn't know the whole story between her parents, the only explanation she received was that they were unhappy with their lives and wanted to go their separate ways. Just like that one day everything was fine and dandy, the next there was a quiet argument in their bedroom, and a couple of days later Aaron was packed and ready to go. There was no big dramatic fight, nothing was thrown at each other, and no fights over child custody or child support. As far as divorces go, theirs was disgustingly amicable. Amelia had a feeling it was her Dad's idea to separate and Ana accepted it with a quiet reluctance. Her mother was torn up about it for months after.

But no matter, her father never stopped seeing her every chance he got. He always went back down to Houston a couple of weeks over the summer, during holidays and her birthdays, always reminding her that he loved her no matter what. She just wished someone gave her more answers about what happened between them. Every time she broached the subject her parents came up with the same answer, they were unhappy with their lives and wanted different things. Doubtful. If she learned something from hours of watching the ID channel was that testimonies who matched down to a T were often rehearsed. They were hiding something.

"We just wish we'd realized it sooner." Ana would say nonchalantly with a pained look she couldn't hide and quickly change the subject.

One glance at the clock in the kitchen made Amelia realize she was running late for school. Cursing herself for obsessing so much over things she couldn't really change, she hurried to leave for school. Now wasn't the time to mope around. Not when she had a busy week ahead of her. And she wasn't a little girl anymore, she had better things to do than worry about her parents' business, however suspicious their relationship was.

The bigger news nowadays was the new family who moved to town recently, which had the entire Forks population abuzz with curious excitement. This was her second semester in Forks, she was old news by now. In a place where not much happened, new people were always a big deal that attracted the attention of many who claimed to have seen moving vans for about a week now. Amelia's mom told her the hospital hired a new doctor recently who was supposed to start soon. Everyone was gossiping already, with news trickling in through the vine from people who saw a few members of the new family around town. So far, no luck for her.

Honestly, Amelia was also a little curious. She wondered what the new kids would be like. Fresh meat at school could mean more business for her. Oddly enough, so far there was no funny feeling about them. Not a bleep. Even without meeting them, Amelia at least hoped to get a feel for them but every time she tried to concentrate, she came across an impenetrable mental wall. Not knowing what to make of that, she got even more interested in getting to know these new kids that were somehow cloaked. _Could it be that they were like her? Or maybe something else?_ That would certainly make things interesting. Very few magical people lived in Forks.

Before leaving the house, Amelia grabbed her black jacket to put on over her long-sleeved grey sweater and a pair of warm gloves. It could get colder in the afternoon by the time she was out of school, or not. In any case, she learned not to underestimate the weather pretty early on since she moved to Forks. She slung her backpack over one shoulder as she left and locked the door one-handed so she wouldn't drop her coffee.

Across the street, Chief Swan was just pulling up in his cruiser when Amelia was unlocking her car door. He was a nice middle-aged man who seemed to spend a lot of time alone, only occasionally getting visits from Billy Black whom she learned was Chief of the Quileute tribe. His kind intrigued her. They weren't werewolves, yet that's the shape their ancestors chose, which made her wonder if maybe they could shift into something else, like a bear, but she never dared ask. It would be rude, and her mother would be furious if she caught her interrogating someone about their private magic. Apparently, it was bad manners to be curious even around here.

From a couple of times that Amelia interacted with Chief Swan, Amelia learned he had a teenage daughter about the same age as her who lived somewhere sunny with her mother. That girl probably had it so good living with the sun shining on her, Amelia was honestly a little jealous. After thinking about it for a moment, she remembered the name. Bella.

Chief Swan waved and offered an awkward smile when Amelia accidentally made eye contact. She waved back and drove off cautiously, feeling self-conscious behind the wheel every time there was a cop nearby.

By the time she got to school the rain was making its presence known with a light snowy drizzle. Amelia searched the area for a spot and found one just where she knew she would near the front of the school. Everyone knew Lori Jackson basically owned the spot, thanks to her uncle who was an assistant principal, and nobody dared park there for fear of retribution from the bitchy cheerleader. Now Amelia could enjoy the short walk up to the school and not get rained on thanks to one little favor she did for the stuck-up girl. There was no lost love between her and Lori. Amelia still thought she was insufferable, but now the girl owed her one and this is was the agreed-upon method of payment. Amelia could park her small beat-up car for the rest of the semester and Lori couldn't do a damn thing.

That blonde bimbo got what she wanted after all. A simple binding spell that wouldn't last more than a week had Sean West salivating after Lori and everyone was happy. At least for a little while. It was up to that scatter-brained girl to retain her boy toy after the week was up. If not, Amelia didn't accept returns. Lori was welcome to purchase another little spell if she wanted, but it would cost her actual money this time since she didn't have anything else of use for Amelia.

As she got out of her car, Amelia scanned the parking lot for her friend Rachel but couldn't spot her or her car anywhere. She did, however, find Lori parked a few rows down the line with a group of jocks flocking around her like thirsty vultures. Judging by the scowl on the cheerleader's face, she wasn't particularly pleased about having to give up her prime spot and continued to give Amelia the stink eye until she was out of sight after ascending the stairs to the front of the school building. Shaking her head in amusement, Amelia couldn't help feeling quite pleased with herself even if it meant having an angry Lori glaring daggers at her whenever they crossed paths.

"Morning!" Rachel surprised her by lacing their arms together as soon as Amelia entered the front double doors. "Are you excited?"

Rachel's beaming smile didn't dim in the slightest with Amelia's sarcastic eye roll.

"Morning," Amelia echoed back reluctantly, tilting her head down a little to look at her shorter friend. Rachel's red curls bounced with every step they took. Today, she wore her hair up in a messy bun, which framed her face in a way that made her seem younger. If Amelia didn't know better, she would have thought Rachel was still in middle school instead of a high school junior like her.

"Have you seen the Cullens yet?"

"Nope."

Rachel's expression fell into disapproval. "Are you serious?" She clucked her tongue. "There's a damn red convertible out in the parking lot that has every teenage boy imagining themselves making out with Lori in the back seat and you're gonna tell me you didn't see anybody?"

Amelia stopped at her locker to pick up her Spanish book and quickly stuffed it in her backpack, taking out the ginormous math one that weighed her down all the way from home. "Oh, sorry, I was too busy basking in the gloriousness of a front row parking spot where I didn't have to worry about ending up like a wet noodle by the time I make it to first period."

Her explanation took a second to sink in, but when it did, Rachel's smile from earlier returned, followed by a peal of laughter. "You're kidding me!" She exclaimed, jumping up and down with excitement. "Lori actually paid up?" As a fellow magical person, Rachel knew of Amelia's extracurricular activities and kept her secret from their parents. Ana's reaction to finding out her daughter was swindling high school kids for money by showing off her talents would not have a happy ending. According to her mom, doing magic was supposed to be a private activity and kept a secret from run of the mill humans.

Amelia nodded with equal enthusiasm. "I know, I was just as surprised. I thought she would back out of our deal, but she just glared at me like she usually does. Sean must have made his move already." Unsurprisingly, of course. The jar spell she used usually worked pretty fast, even more so considering how fast Lori came up with Sean's sweaty undershirt to bind the spell specifically to the jock. Amelia didn't want to find out how that girl got a hold of it because _gross_. "So, in the grand scheme of things, prime real estate wins over new kids." For now.

Her spidey sense wasn't acting up; she didn't think there was any reason to perk up just yet.

Rachel conceded at the same time the bell for first period rang loudly, followed by several forceful clangs as everyone began to shuffle towards their respective classrooms. Their first class wasn't one they shared together, so they had to part ways pretty early without having the chance to go over their plans for that evening. Sadly, this semester they only shared two classes together, second and last period, which didn't give them enough time to plan any shenanigans. Unfortunately, Lori was in most of her classes. Amelia was not looking forward to that particular form of torture. Karma must have been getting back at her for something.

Before the tardy bell could ring, Amelia said goodbye and walked off in the opposite direction towards her Spanish class. It wasn't a long walk, and she made it there without being stopped by one of Lori's lackeys. She did get quite a few wary looks from underclassmen who already seemed to have heard she was someone who could help them get better grades. Word must have spread fast about her extracurricular services. So far, she only did small things like spell textbooks to help kids study and impress their parents. They thought she was giving them answers but really Amelia was giving them an extra push to concentrate on actually putting some effort in their work.

In reality, Amelia didn't have any special powers like her mother, who actually devoted years to learning her craft and now could use her powers without the need of crystals or symbols. Who knew how many spells Ana memorized over the years. Amelia didn't have the same extensive knowledge because she wasn't taught the craft since childhood. Her mother didn't think it was necessary when Amelia didn't show any signs of having the gift. Sometimes it skipped a generation or two and Ana wasn't surprised given that Amelia's father didn't have anyone in his family with the same gift. It was only in the last couple of years that Amelia's powers started to manifest. It was little things at first: a feeling of Deja vu here and there, pictures flashing before her eyes whenever she touched an object and learning how to cope with the visions that she didn't want to have. It wasn't often, but sometimes Amelia saw things she wished she never did.

"Buenos Dias, senorita Clark." Amelia smiled at Mrs. Kelley as she passed by her desk.

"Buenos Dias, como le va?" _Good Morning, how do you do?_

She replied. "Todo bien?"

"Muy bien, muchas gracias."

They greeted each other politely every morning the same way, it was a comforting routine for Amelia to freely speak her mother's language. She liked Mrs. Kelley, she was very sweet and patient with Amelia when she struggled to remember words or forgot to conjugate verbs in the correct tense. Despite being half Mexican, Amelia's command of the language wasn't one hundred percent correct, a constant source of shame for her. If she had a penny for every time someone gave her a hard time about it, she'd be rich, and her mother would be a big investor.

Amelia turned around to look for an empty desk near the back away from the pesky Lori Jackson who would no doubt be coming in soon. She took a seat and started taking out her workbook while everyone else settled down as well. The school year had just started and already Mrs. Kelley warned them they were gonna have to work hard on two major projects if any of them wanted to pass the class. Amelia thought she didn't have to worry about it too much. Spanish II here in Forks wasn't as challenging as it was back in Houston where the bar was set higher for kids who had passable command of the language or a drop of ethnic blood in them.

With everyone settled, the class was about to start when someone approached the door just as Mrs. Kelley was closing it to begin the lesson. A boy walked in. But not any boy.

Never in a million years did Amelia think she would have a reason to fear for life while on school grounds. How did she not feel it as soon as she stepped foot in that classroom? What was wrong with her today that she couldn't even sense the imminent danger to her person or the entire school building for that matter? There weren't any signs for her this morning. She should have known something was wrong when she didn't get any vibes.

For a brief moment, Amelia considered running away, which was crazy given that she was in a room full of people who didn't know what could happen to them pretty soon, like being torn apart by a hungry bloodsucker. And said bloodsucker was also blocking the only exit in the classroom. Amelia glanced at the rows of windows to her left, briefly wondering whether jumping out from a second story would impede her from running away, and then quickly dismissed the silly idea.

"Shit." Amelia at least had half a mind to whisper instead of shout. While detention didn't seem like a big deal, she was pretty sure the guilt of being responsible for the death of an entire classroom would weigh pretty heavily on her conscience. She was the only one who even had the remote chance to help her poor classmates if the bloodsucker decided he wanted a snack.

To everyone else, he probably looked like just another guy, albeit a very handsome one. He was quite tall, over six feet tall, with honey blonde hair that fell just above his collar and chiseled cheekbones above a strong jaw that could probably bite and snap any part of a human body as if it was a candy bar. For some reason he didn't have the red eyes she could have sworn was typical for any of them. His intense eyes were a golden brown. Maybe he had contacts?

"Mr. Hale, I presume?" The vampire nodded with a grimace. His jaw was tense, he looked almost as if he was in pain. And tired. The dark shadows under his eyes were the only flaw to his complexion, they made him look like he hadn't had a good night's sleep in a while. "You're late."

_Oh, Mrs. Kelley, please don't scold the murderous vampire._ Amelia wanted to face-palm. Mrs. Kelley did not listen to her instincts of self-preservation. She did seem a little perturbed by Hale's unnerving gaze, her tone lacking some of the usual confident authority, but of course, she still felt like she needed to prove herself since she was so young, barely out of college, and was unknowingly antagonizing a dangerous predator.

"Yes, ma'am. My apologies." Hale conceded, shuffling a little as if embarrassed with a completely sincere expression on his face.

Amelia's eyebrows shot up almost to her hairline. A polite vampire. Whoa. And southern, if she wasn't mistaken. She'd recognize that accent anywhere, however faint.

Mrs. Kelley gained some of her confidence back and motioned for her student to take a seat. "Make sure it doesn't happen again, Mr. Hale." Then she turned to the rest of the class and added an introduction. "Class, please welcome Jasper Hale."

Looking around, Amelia noticed the hungry looks most of the female population was directing at the vampire who didn't to give a damn. He looked rather peeved, yet everyone seemed hypnotized by his looks. Bunch of morons, all of them. They'd probably still gaze up at him with adoration as he tore their throats out with a smile and drank their blood. She half-heartedly welcomed Jasper with a quiet hello, unlike the rest of the girls who even craned their necks to follow him with their gaze. Lori's sparkly eyes followed Jasper every step of the way until he settled on the empty desk next to Amelia with uncanny grace.

It just so happened that Amelia was to be paired with the bloodsucker. Of course. And he was not happy about it. His handsome face contorted into something like pain again. It looked very out of place. If looks could kill, Amelia would be long dead. The next 45 minutes of class passed by excruciatingly slow. She was deeply aware of the vampire next to her and every small movement he made, every breath he pretended to take, elevated her stress levels. Would he really go after her or any other kid in such a public space? Vampires weren't known to cause scenes, they were supposed to be nomadic solitary beings, rarely venturing into society.

_I'm gonna die. This is it. A fucking vampire is gonna kill me. _

Today of all days she had to come to school so unprotected. She should have learned more defensive and offensive spells rather than how to make a stupid binding jar spell. What was she gonna do now, somehow make him get infatuated with her so he couldn't kill her? If that could even work. He would probably go all crazy and kill her anyway.

Mrs. Kelley's lesson went in one ear and out the other. Amelia couldn't recall a single thing her teacher said. As soon as the bell rang, she clumsily stuffed everything into her backpack and bolted out the door hoping she wouldn't become a meal. In her haste to leave, she didn't notice the vampire was doing the same. There was more traffic on his row, which apparently slowed him down. They both reached the door at the same time. He was faster and more agile than her, but even then, he couldn't avoid accidentally touching her arm as he attempted to shoulder past her, which triggered a series of scenes from his past.

Usually, Amelia only saw a few frames at a timely speed, enough to piece together a coherent picture, and was rarely capable of tuning in enough to feel or hear part of her visions, but connecting to vampire radio was much different. A wave of emotion came over her along with a brief flash of what looked like a scene from some gory zombie movie. Bodies were strewn everywhere, they were bloodied, missing limbs and some entire chunks of their bodies and lying about in odd positions. Some had their eyes closed, others were staring up at the sky, unseeing, with gaping mouths and an expression of horror on their bloated faces. It was a sea of bodies dressed in outdated clothes on the side of an otherwise unremarkable road where the earth had darkened with blood. Death hadn't been kind. The worst part was the stench permeating the whole area; a mix of rotting flesh and smoke that made Amelia gag and run for the nearest bathroom where she lost her small breakfast in the toilet.

Throughout the rest of the day, Amelia was nauseous. Her bad mood increased every time she heard anyone talk about the Cullen family. Whispers ran rampant about the kids who looked like models but didn't mingle with anyone outside of their family, a fatal mistake on their part if they wanted to be left alone. The entire high school population was now relentless in their pursuit to find out more gossip about the new kids. Almost every girl in the school was raving about the handsome Cullen boys, and every guy imagined himself scoring dates with the girls. Hormones were running wild in those human kids and Amelia was sick of it by lunch. So sick she completely skipped it.

Jasper Hale ended up in History with her and his siblings Emmett and Rosalie shared English with her. Amelia didn't know which one of the Cullen kids was worse, Rosalie who practically oozed anger and annoyance or that burly guy Emmett who was built like a big muscular bear yet still had an almost angelic childish appearance. So far, Amelia was able to stay as far away from them as possible even during the classes they had together and planned to keep it that way for the rest of the semester. The last thing she wanted was a peek behind their curtains when Jasper Hale's was traumatizing enough. Where the hell were those people, his snacks?

Rachel, bless her heart, caught up on the vampire situation fairly quickly and also avoided them like the plague. It wouldn't bode well for her to get anywhere near vampires just in case her glamour slipped and enticed one of them towards her. The risk was too great, and Rachel wouldn't be able to defend herself against a thirsty vampire.

Amelia's last period was study hall in the library. On any other day she wouldn't mind, but today she was nervous and scared to be cornered in a fairly secluded part of the school by one of the Cullens, so she remained near the front desk where Mrs. Boyd could see her instead of venturing on her own to look for something to read. Mrs. Boyd was too busy on her computer to notice Amelia was acting weird and jumping at every little noise, scared of being approached even by regular students.

The bell finally rang, and Amelia basically sprinted towards her car, sending a quick text to her mother. A 911 type of message to meet her at home telling her there was an emergency. Ana would know what to do. In the parking lot, she spotted the shiny red convertible Rachel told her about earlier that day parked by a blue jeep and surrounded by the all the Cullens. Their heavy stares stunned her momentarily. Alice was the only one who seemed rather curious, even smiling for a second, only looking away when Jasper sent her a weird serious look. He was the one who seemed like he wanted to approach Amelia the most. She took off before any of them could catch up with her and drove off.

She drove home in a daze, scared and paranoid that they would follow her. So far her mother hadn't replied, not a peep. For someone who always stressed the importance of taking a 911 text seriously, Ana was being awfully negligent. To her surprise, there was another car parked in front of her house. Luxury cars weren't common around Forks, Amelia wondered who it could be. Her mother's grey Honda was also there, allowing Amelia to relax a little bit as she parked. Not a second after she got out of the car, she heard the screeching of tires rounding up the curve down the street. The red convertible was making its way toward her house followed closely by a blue jeep.

"Fuck me!" She exclaimed in surprise and ran inside her house yelling for her mom like a helpless duck for the first time since she was a little kid. "Mom! Mom, there's a bunch of blood…" Amelia trailed off as she entered her living room and froze at the sight of two more vampires sitting on the couch.

* * *

Thank you JohnGreenGirl for helping me edit this chapter! Hope you guys enjoy. Let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter Two

_"Fuck me!" She exclaimed in surprise and ran inside her house yelling for her mom like a helpless duck for the first time since she was a little kid. "Mom! Mom, there's a bunch of blood…" Amelia trailed off as she entered her living room and froze at the sight of two more vampires sitting on the couch._

**Chapter Two**

A blond man somewhere in his mid-twenties with similar golden eyes and pale skin as the other suckers looked up, seemingly unconcerned by her presence, and smiled kindly, nodding in acknowledgment. The woman sitting next to him looked straight out of an old black and white film with her fine, classic facial features and caramel colored hair styled in big wavy curls over one shoulder like she'd just taken them off some rollers. Her sleek modern clothes almost looked out of place on such a beautiful woman and certainly odd for someone in her living room. Neither vampire looked nearly as threatening as the ones she met at school, but Amelia wasn't fooled by their efforts to look human with their pleasant and calm demeanor.

"What the hell is going on?" She exclaimed impolitely, looking between her mother and their guests, wondering if it was possible someone bewitched her family.

Just when Amelia didn't think she could take any more surprises, the younger Cullens appeared at her door.

"Let them in, Amelia," Ana said, giving Amelia a look that left no room for discussion.

Let in more vampires? Amelia was going to puke all over someone's shoes soon. The mere idea of being surrounded by more of them made her want to run and hide for her life. When her mother sat down to give her the supernatural talk years ago she made it seem like vampires were the monsters she should stay away from and now they were all chatting in her living room like they were good old friends. Did she suddenly enter the Twilight Zone?

Reluctantly, Amelia opened the door. She had no other choice but trust her mother to handle the situation when things inevitably went south. Without coming up with a welcoming word to the newcomers, she quickly turned around and made her way back towards the couch to sit across from the other suckers. She wasn't particularly interested in the introductions but nodded in acknowledgment out of respect when Ana introduced each of the Cullen kids. Amelia had already met some of them. Emmett and Rosalie, who were also Juniors, were in her English Lit class and thankfully kept to themselves. Edward and Alice, on the other hand, were posing as Sophomores, which is why she hadn't seen them personally all day until now when Edward politely attempted to shake her hand. His expression was open, and his soft words were polite but she didn't like him one bit already. She couldn't say why, but her gut was telling her there was something off about him. So far her spidey senses hadn't failed her. Amelia looked down at his pale hand, then back up at him, and tucked her hands into her coat's pockets instead. As if she was going to touch one of them after what she saw earlier. The chances of a repeat were low, but she couldn't control when it happened. Speaking of which, someone was missing. That guy from Spanish, Jasper, didn't come in with the rest of them.

"Our son Jasper is the newest member of the family, he still has some… problems with self-control." Carlisle Cullen mentioned offhandedly, but there was some tension between his family members. Amelia wondered why the hell he was at school if he hadn't finished his twelve step program. And how come Carlisle Cullen was a doctor? He had to be surrounded by blood all day every day in his profession.

Ana cleared her throat, drawing attention back to herself and the matter at hand. "He hasn't adjusted to your… diet, you say. Why is he in school with my daughter?" She asked bluntly, surprising Amelia with her remark. Amelia wanted to know the same but didn't dare ask for fear of drawing more attention to herself. "If he can't control himself then he shouldn't be surrounded by a bunch of kids. If something happens—"

"Nothing will happen." Alice Cullen chimed in. Her voice, like the rest of the Cullens, had a melodic chime to it, captivating and impossible to ignore. Amelia was honestly getting tired of their faces; she didn't appreciate being toyed with. She didn't want to end up like one of those stupid mosquitoes who caught sight of an electric trap and dived right into its death. "I've seen it. Jasper won't hurt anyone."

"Can you guarantee it?" Ana asked, skepticism written all over her face. Amelia recognized that look. Her mother was stubborn, and wouldn't really change her mind until she had irrefutable proof.

It was almost imperceptible, Alice's gaze briefly flickered over to Amelia, a small smile twitching on her lips like she knew something no one else did. It was unnerving. Amelia fought the urge to make a face and possibly piss off any of them. "Yes, I can." She even sounded slightly amused. "I have a gift."

"She can see the future," Carlisle admitted, offering Ana a look of reassurance nobody seemed to buy. "Would you like her to show you?"

So he knew about their abilities as well. Fuck. How much did he know? Amelia's hands tightened into fists inside her coat's pockets in a panic. Protecting their secret was the most important rule Ana had, it was weird to be discussing gifts and magic so openly. Was it time to start freaking out now? She glanced sideways at her mom, noting how her pleasant expression was gone, replaced by suspicion. "No, thank you, that won't be necessary." Ana sat up straighter, angling her body away from Alice who took a step back at the same time, and whose gaze shifted towards Amelia.

Slowly, as if mindful of their feelings, Alice took off one glove from her hand, motioning for Amelia to take it. The shorter girl was trying her hardest to appear non-threatening and open but wasn't really succeeding, at least not with Amelia.

"Uh…" Amelia glanced at her mother for help on what to do but Ana gave no answer, leaving it up to her. A yes or no would have sufficed. "I'm I gonna see something I don't want to?" Her question seemed to amuse the Cullens who chuckled lowly. Amelia didn't see the humor in the situation. Their show of emotions did appease her somewhat, allowing her to relax on her seat. She took comfort in her mother's presence next to her, gathered every ounce of confidence she could muster up to touch one of them willingly and raised up her hand.

Alice's whole demeanor brightened up like a kid on Christmas day, making Amelia wonder whether she was making a mistake. Their hands were inches apart when suddenly another vampire intervened, grabbing his sister's hand and pulling her away at the last second. Amelia nearly had a heart attack, he moved so fast. One moment Edward was next to Carlisle on the other side of the room, and suddenly he was in front of her.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Jasper's voice made Amelia jump. In the blink of an eye, he made it inside the house without making any noise and was flanking his sister on her right.

"Son of a bitch!" She couldn't help it, the cussing slipped by accident and she wasn't even sorry. Amelia's annoyance only spiked with his presence. "Somebody needs to wear a bell around his neck, for God's sake."

The other guy, the big one, chuckled. But he was the only one.

"She didn't like it earlier, I don't think she'll appreciate it now," Jasper spoke quietly, almost apologetically, his gaze fixed on Amelia with an indescribable ferocity that made her uncomfortable. She felt almost naked.

What Amelia didn't appreciate was having someone speak for her. "I think I can handle it." She snapped back, scowling up at the guy, trying to mimic his same intense look and probably failing. Underestimating her was a bad move on his part. When she puked, which would undoubtedly happen if she was honest with herself, she was gonna make sure it landed on him.

"No, Amelia," Ana spoke up, pulling Amelia back when she tried to stand up, giving her the infamous mom look to back down and listen or else. Amelia didn't have a choice; the fear of her mother's wrath was bigger than the curiosity to find out what the future held. "We'll trust you. For now."

A look of relief passed over the adult vampires like they couldn't believe someone had placed their trust in them. Yet, they still seemed tense behind their mask of utter confidence. That Edward guy, his uncaring attitude didn't fool her, he seemed to know something he wasn't sharing with everyone else. As if he'd heard her, he glanced her way, then quickly averted his eyes.

"Thank you, you're very kind." Esme said sweetly, sounding truthfully thankful.

Alice seemed almost disappointed as she glanced back one last time when the Cullens were leaving, and Edward ushered her out faster. They were hiding something, Amelia could tell. Ultimately, whatever it was, she would find out. One of them would eventually slip up, get too close, and Amelia would grab them. Her main target was Jasper. They couldn't avoid her forever. Suddenly she wasn't so worried about the consequences of peeking behind their curtains. The glimpse into Jasper's past had Amelia hooked; she couldn't wait to find out more about them now that her mom deemed them more or less harmless. And if they dared try anything funny, she was confident enough in her ability to stop them. Well, one or two of them, at least, long enough for someone else to intervene. Like her mom.

Yes, Amelia was going to find out everything she could about the Cullens, starting with Jasper.

Later, after they left, Amelia cornered her mom to ask for answers.

"What were they doing here?" She asked.

Ana plopped down on the couch with a sigh. "He's the new trauma surgeon at the hospital."

"And?"

"And I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to die in the middle of my shift." While her mother's explanation made sense, Amelia couldn't imagine someone just walking up to a vampire and asking if they had the urge to bite. "Alright, why are you looking at me like that, young lady?"

Amelia shrugged nonchalantly. "A heads up would have been nice. You know, before I freaked out when one of them walked into my Spanish class. Are we introducing ourselves to every magically inclined person out there now? What happened to keeping our secret?" Being neighborly wasn't exactly their thing, after all. Amelia couldn't remember a single instance where Ana went out of her way to meet a neighbor, much less a magical one. Every now and again Amelia recognized someone else's 'otherness' but they never approached them to ask what they were doing in town. It was rude.

"No!" Ana seemed scandalized at the prospect, which was actually normal. She didn't like to socialize. It was a miracle she was even in contact with Rachel's mom to begin with, really. "Listen, this is a one time thing, okay? I wanted to know who they are and make sure they won't cause any trouble."

"Okay, so what did you find out?" She asked, casually sitting down and crossing her legs to get comfortable.

"They're vegetarians." Ana said with air quotes. "I had no idea that was even a thing, honestly. But they only drink animal blood."

Amelia's mouth fell open. It took her a second to get over that bit of information. "No way."

Ana nodded. "Yes way." Holy crap, vegetarian vampires. What was this world coming down to? "Esme is an interior decorator and they have a permanent residence just outside of town."

"Wow." She was really impressed with how serious they took the whole human thing. "And what's up with the contacts? Is it like a fashion statement?"

Ana seemed amused as she leaned closer to Amelia in a conspiratorial way. It was the first time her mother had let herself be somewhat carefree in a long time. Amelia liked it a lot. Sitting there on the couch and sharing funny stories, it was almost like old times when they shared everything. Of course that was before Amelia realized she wasn't a squib, so to speak. Keeping the extent of her magic powers was a burden she was willing to carry if it meant practicing at her own leisure. The last thing Amelia wanted was a lecture on why practicing magic was wrong when she didn't know what to do. Well, she'd know what do if her mother taught her but that was a huge no-no in their household. And so, Amelia had to find a way to learn on her own.

"No, it's because of their diet. Apparently, animal blood equals those weird eyes."

Amelia scrunched up nose. "I can't tell whether they're better or worse than red eyes." She admitted. Then a thought occurred to her, was this the first time her mother had a little powwow in their living room? "Wait a minute, was Billy Black here like the Cullens?" For a brief second Ana's eyes widened like she'd been caught doing something bad. That was answer enough for Amelia. "That's how they knew about us, isn't it? Are you going around introducing yourself to everyone?" It made so much sense now. At first Amelia had been too immersed in the story her mother told her about shape shifters down the street at the rez to question how she knew so much about them.

"Not everyone." Ana said defensively, dropping the 'I am innocent act.' "Just certain people I thought would be useful to have on our side."

Amelia didn't know what to say, and just like that, the conversation was over. Her mother got up from the couch and went to the kitchen. Over her shoulder, she asked if Amelia was hungry.

* * *

**Thank you all for your reviews! So excited to keep sharing this story with you guys.**


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Jasper couldn't avoid her during Spanish class, not when Mrs. Kelley, bless her heart, officially assigned them as partners for the rest of the semester. It felt like a slap to the face and she had a stupid test to thank for it because according to her score she was considered average. At least on paper, and according to the teacher Jasper would be perfect to help her make some progress. Of course his grammar was better than hers, who knew how many years he practiced, probably more than the time she was alive, so she wasn't offended in the least when his expression turned into one of absolute boredom ten minutes into the lesson. She couldn't blame him, honestly. Tutoring her couldn't be all that exciting. On the plus side, thanks to Mrs. Kelley she would be able to get a better read on him. Or so she thought. His reflexes were better than hers, he was faster, and she was never able to touch him again, or even brush up against him by 'accident.' God, she felt like a such a creep for even going that far.

At one point, after Amelia dropped her pencil near him on purpose, Jasper had the audacity to crack a fleeting smile at her poor attempt to grab his hand as he returned it. Unless they made skin to skin contact, Amelia's already unreliable gift wouldn't work.

"Are you serious?" She hissed under her breath at him. They were supposed to only speak Spanish and have a conversation about the topic on their textbook, which was ironically about the weather and how sunny the morning was. Well, it might have been sunny in whatever fictional town Tomas and Maria lived in, but Forks was cloudy as ever with heavy clouds that promised snowy rain sometime soon. Forgive her if she couldn't muster up enough interest to stay on topic.

Jasper didn't acknowledge her, simply repeated the question he was reading before she interrupted him and stared back at her blankly, waiting for her rehearsed reply. "Senorita?"

Amelia gritted her teeth and glared at him for another few seconds before reluctantly replying, "Tengo planes para salir a disfrutar los rayos del sol en la piscina esta tarde." _I have plans to sit by the pool this afternoon and enjoy the sunshine._

The rest of the class was pretty much the same. He avoided her at all costs and mostly stared down at his workbook while her annoyance with him grew every second. After class he was the first one to exit the classroom, rising up with grace and speed from his chair to leave her behind, high tailing it out of there like a bat out of hell. Heads turned on his way out but he didn't seem to care.

_Great_, she thought bitterly as she then became the center of attention, _now everyone thinks I pissed the new kid_.

Somehow, Rachel was late for Biology and Amelia didn't get to talk to her right away. The hour dragged on forever, and Amelia was dying to tell Rachel what happened the day before at her house. Out of the corner of her eye she could tell her friend was equally curious but didn't dare ask a question during class when Mr. Banner was on a warpath, shushing anyone who dared interrupt his stupid lecture about cells.

"Finally, I thought this would never end!" Rachel declared with relief as soon as they stepped out of the classroom together, falling into step with Amelia and barely avoiding Lori as she briskly walked past them. Where the hell she was going so fast was anyone's guess. To meet her boy toy, probably. For all she knew they had a blow job scheduled under the bleachers. Amelia shuddered at the thought. So gross. Why did she put that image in her own head? "I got your text, how did it go yesterday?"

They were in public so Amelia couldn't speak freely but she figured no one was paying attention when they were still somewhat sleepy so early in the morning. "My mother decided to become buddies with you know who. And I was about to get the inside scoop directly from one of them," she raised her gloved hand and wiggled her fingers, alluding to her visions, "when that Jasper guy stopped me. I was so close!"

Rachel wrinkled her nose in distaste, "Why would you want to…"

"Because I got something from one of them earlier and let's just say that curiosity got the best of me." She shrugged. "I don't know, it was scary as hell, but they're hiding something. I know it."

Rachel gave her one of those skeptical looks she usually reserved for morons who occasionally asked her out, the one with the raised eyebrow and pursed lips. "You're willing to hang around them and potentially become a snack to satisfy your curiosity?" When she put it that way…

Okay, so Rachel had a point. Amelia was acting stupid, looking for answers that were none of her business. Yet. Because sooner or later something would happen, she just knew it. A funny feeling had settled in the pit of her stomach since yesterday when she met the Cullens at her house and it wouldn't go away. It was a sense of dread combined with an odd fluttering every time she was anywhere near one of them. And that little one, Alice, only made it worse by staring at Amelia with anticipation. How could she ignore them when she was so deeply aware of their presence everywhere?

Seeing that Rachel didn't care enough to help her investigate, especially when her mother warned her to stay as far away from them as possible, Amelia dropped the subject. No use in arguing with Rachel, not when Amelia knew damn well her friend wouldn't disobey her mother. Props to her, but Amelia was going to get to the bottom of things no matter what.

During Gym, Amelia thought she could finally catch one of them around the track. The weather was shit outside, bleak and ominous, but it wasn't raining. Coach Clapp made them do warm ups for what seemed like the longest time, then finally told them to run a couple miles. Amelia purposely caught Jasper's gaze and tilted her head to one side with a polite smile as she waved. Maybe they wouldn't run away from her if she was friendlier and looked more approachable. Not that she was actually trying to befriend the Cullens, but it would make things easier for her if she took some people's advice and smiled more. Jasper was standing a couple of feet away next to his twin sister Rosalie, if she was even related to him, but he didn't seem worried at all. The blank look on his face never changed. He nodded nonchalantly without a care in the world while Rosalie looked her up and down, found her distasteful, and rolled her eyes before vainly tossing that beautiful blonde hair to one side. _What a strange creature_, Amelia thought, quickly dismissing her as a potential source. Too bitchy.

The plan was to brush past one of them, preferably Jasper, whose life she wanted to catch a glimpse of again. The dead bodies Amelia saw deeply disturbed her, but this time she planned to focus more on the present and find out what else his 'family' was hiding. Hopefully her gift would work with her and focus on what she needed to see. The flashes of pictures were random and sporadic more often than not. She rarely tried to control it given how seldom she caught sight of things but it was important now.

When the coach gave them the signal to start, Amelia did her best to remain in line with her classmates. And consequently failed miserably. She forgot how physically unfit she was, and soon she was unable to keep up. Her breathing became erratic within the first mile, almost before that, and by then the Cullens were so very far ahead of her it would be next to impossible for Amelia to ever catch up.

A stitch on her side allowed her to pause briefly to try and catch her breath, then the coach threatened her with suicides after school if she didn't get it together. With no other option, Amelia pushed herself to run at least one more mile so she didn't look like an idiot and promptly regretted it when she felt like she couldn't breathe. Her stomach rebelled and she almost threw up. Coach Clapp finally told her to stop when she saw Amelia doubled over struggling to get enough air into her overworked lungs.

"Fucking hell!" Amelia threw in the towel. Literally. She was sweating like a pig after slightly jogging/fast walking so she took a shower in the locker room and was changing when Rachel joined her. "They beat me and I couldn't do anything."

Rachel snorted as she changed back into her clothes. "Of course they beat you, you couldn't run more than a mile to save your own life." Amelia glared, which had no impact on her friend who only laughed at her expression. "I'm serious. Thank your lucky stars you have a magic to defend yourself, otherwise you'd be dead. Like, you know those stupid girls in horror movies who stumble all over the place until the killer catches them and dismembers them? That's you."

Amelia pulled a face. "You don't have to rub it in."

Running wasn't Amelia's thing. She was much better at semi stationary sports like yoga.

"Oh, but I do." Rachel countered, still chuckling. "You looked like… god, I can't even describe it! Your face was so red."

Amelia stared at the mirror inside her locker, noticing how blotchy her cheeks were even after her shower and wished she had concealer or foundation to correct it, but they were at home. The eyeliner and mascara she'd put on that morning had mostly been washed off save for its dark traces under her eyes that gave her a raccoon look. Awesome. Next time she needed to remember not to wear any make up for PE. She never learned, though. Through the mirror's reflection she saw a glimpse of Rosalie walking by behind her. The bitchy blonde stared at Amelia with superiority. Despite having run a couple of miles, Rosalie still looked ready for the runaway. Her high ponytail hadn't moved an inch and her skin remained bright and pale. If she didn't know the girl was a vampire, Amelia would be really confused right about now.

Even knowing that achieving Rosalie's level of beauty was next to impossible, Amelia couldn't help the pang of jealousy she felt. Glancing back at her reflection she noticed how her limp long dark hair made her forehead stand out where there was a small zit forming. Yay for teenage hormones. If that wasn't enough, her lips were too thin and her mouth too small, and her eyebrows too prominent. Everywhere she looked on her face, Amelia could point out a little something she wasn't happy with. She touched the side of her face with disappointment and wondered whether her mother would ever agree to lip injections. Augh, who was she kidding, of course not. What a silly thought. With her luck she'd end up all botched up and spend the rest of her life with a bag over her head trying to hide from the rest of the world. Granted, looking at the bigger picture, she knew she was pretty; not inhumanly gorgeous like Rosalie or stunningly beautiful like Rachel, but Amelia could admit she was average.

Rosalie walked away a moment later, leaving Amelia feeling a little down. Amelia chose not to dwell on it, not too much at least, shutting her locker harder than she meant to after getting dressed. The day wasn't over yet.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Every other Friday after school, Amelia was supposed to have dinner with her father and, according to the custody agreement her parents had, spend the weekend at his place, which sometimes included his girlfriend Joy. And just like her name, she was inhumanly full of joy all the time. Not just after coffee, or after a few glasses of wine like most adults, no. Joy was happy in the morning, noon, and evening, and she always smiled like an energizing bunny hopped up on meth. Amelia strongly disliked her.

Aaron picked Amelia up promptly at 6 o'clock in his police cruiser like he always did no matter how many times she told him not to. Maybe she liked riding in the cruiser when she was a five and still had that whole hero worship thing going, utterly mesmerized by the colorful shadows from the flashing lights as she stared out the window, but now she didn't particularly care in the least. What did she have to do to make him understand she wasn't a kid anymore? What she remembered the most now were the long shifts he worked, and going days without seeing him, which is why Amelia would demand a ride around the block in the passenger seat and wouldn't stop begging until Aaron gave in. He missed so many special occasions, from a couple of birthdays to holidays and other important parts of her life like school plays. He never got to see her dressed up as little snow white. Ana was always there, though, ready with an excuse and it wasn't until her parents divorced that Amelia started seeing more of her father. How messed up was that?

Even then, sometimes nostalgia for the days when her family was still together crept up on Amelia. Like right now when she got all sad and mopey for the rest of the silent ride to her Dad's house just a couple of miles away from her own, closer to the Sheriff's station. The ache in her chest was a familiar one. And so was the pin prick feeling in the back of her throat signaling a possible onslaught of tears that she did not want to unleash in front of her Dad. He would undoubtedly tell Ana. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then slowly, and silently, released it. Think of happy feelings, she told herself. If her Mom found out just how much the situation affected her then Ana would only blame herself and revert back to how she was after Aaron left them.

Before she knew it they were parking in the driveway and the engine was off. Aaron sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a groan. He did not seem happy. Amelia wondered if it was work or his personal life that had him looking like death warmed over. Joy was probably a pushover and couldn't speak up to tell Aaron he was slipping back into his old ways. His workaholic days.

"Joy made dinner for us today." He announced, massaging the back of his neck, probably bracing himself for an argument. Any resemblance of concern for him quickly disappeared at the mention of that woman.

Amelia snorted, because of course he would bring that woman into his house for dinner. Aaron started dating Joy soon after he moved back to Forks. So soon that Amelia often wondered whether she was the reason why he left them in the first place. Tons of people cheated, but she never thought her Dad would do something like that. Work himself into an early grave, yes, but not go out and find himself a mistress to fill some void in his heart. There was a time when her parents used to be happy. They used to dance in the kitchen late at night to cheesy songs when they thought she was in bed and kiss each other goodbye every morning after breakfast. Sometimes they argued, like normal people, but they'd always makeup. How could he do that to his family and throw it all away for nothing?

One day out of the blue Aaron just decided he wanted a divorce. He quit his job in Houston, packed up his bags and just had enough time to say goodbye to his daughter before walking out the door so fast the door almost hit him on the way out. He couldn't wait to get out of there because he had Joy waiting for him. So, no, Amelia wasn't particularly fond of Joy. For once, she wanted a peaceful weekend with her Dad that didn't include Joy or her obnoxious need to fill in the silence with pointless chatter.

"Ok." She replied drily, struggling to contain the disdain she felt for Joy from showing in her expression or voice. It would have been better if dinner was only between them, but she couldn't exactly make him kick Joy out. That woman had her hooks sunk very deep in Aaron. Although, without Joy, Aaron probably wouldn't even bother trying to cook. He sure didn't when she was a kid and he had to babysit while Ana pulled double shifts. His idea of dinner was a bowl of sugary cereal or a tv dinner heated in the microwave, which was sort of alright for Amelia when she was five years old but not now.

As soon as she entered the house, Joy came from the living room to greet them, drying her hands with a kitchen towel, offering Amelia a bright smile. If she was someone else, in other circumstances, maybe Amelia would be more forgiving. Maybe. But that woman was Joy Lewis, the homewrecker who possibly broke up her parents marriage. If only she had something else that Amelia could dislike, other than what she did, like her looks or personality. But no, Joy was perfect. She was a tall, blonde haired and blue eyed beauty who owned a popular diner in town, the only decent place to eat, and cooked delicious food. She even recycled, donated leftover food to a homeless shelter and drank green smoothies.

"Hi, sweetie!"

Amelia faked a smile with a polite nod and accepted the nice lady's welcoming hug, only patting her once on the back before pulling away as fast as possible. She probably just came from the diner, the smell of fried food still lingered around her, which made Amelia briefly wrinkle her nose. The gesture was caught by Aaron, who gave her a pleading look not to be rude.

"Hi, Joy." Amelia replied quietly with little enthusiasm.

If Joy noticed Amelia's apathetic reply, she didn't comment on it, though the woman's smile did falter for a second. "How was school?" Joy asked as they made they made their way to the dining room. It was already set up with three plates and glasses. Steaks were ready, the mashed potatoes and veggies were in the middle of the table in big dishes ready for her to choose what to eat.

"Same as always." She said.

Everything looked delicious. She wanted to try a little bit of everything. But she wasn't going to because pretending like everything was alright, like that woman belonged at the table with her and Aaron, felt like an awful betrayal to her mother who would spend the weekend alone at home when she came back from work.

"What do you think, pretty good, uh?" Aaron asked in between bites halfway through the meal. This question coming out of nowhere was really a poor attempt at lightening the mood at the dinner table when everywhere had gone quiet for too long. Since when did he even notice awkward silences? God, was he picking up some of Joy's mannerisms? Amelia hoped he wouldn't suddenly start rambling to pointlessly keep small talk going.

With Joy's expectant expression aimed at her, Amelia didn't have a choice, she smiled politely and brought the last piece of broccoli to her mouth. The food was delicious, Amelia had wolfed it down and wanted a second serving but she'd much rather eat her own tongue than reach across the table for more. She wouldn't give Joy the satisfaction of knowing her cooking was pretty darn yummy. "It's good." She replied truthfully after taking a sip of her sweet tea, which wasn't really sweet. Joy must have added the sugar after putting the ice in. Ew. "Thanks for the meal, but I'm tired. May I be excused?"

Aaron and Joy exchanged a weird look, having a brief, unspoken conversation between them. What could they possibly have against her leaving? Amelia was careful not to be too obvious with her dislike for Joy. Not once did she say anything bad about Joy to her Dad. Finally, he nodded in her direction.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Port Angeles was a nice reprieve from small town Forks. It felt livelier. Every other weekend, usually when Joy decided to join her Dad during their weekends, Amelia planned a trip with Rachel to get out of the house for most of the day. Sometimes they shopped for little trinkets, objects that Amelia could use for a spell, watched a movie or visited a cafe to hang out for a couple of hours. But they always ended up in the same place at the end of the day, visiting Lucy, a so called psychic, after dinner.

"... like that." Rachel's voice snapped Amelia out of her daydream.

The weather was cooperating with them, it wasn't raining, though the sky was grey and it was only slightly breezy. One long sleeve shirt and a warm jacket were enough to keep her warm. Thankfully, she wore her hair up in a bun, keeping it away from her face when the wind blew past her while Rachel, in all her glory, managed to look impeccable no matter what.

"I'm sorry, what?"

Rachel's smile fell, turning her expression into a scowl. "Did you listen to anything I said?"

Embarrassed, Amelia shook her head. "No, sorry."

Her friend placed her elbows on the flimsy wooden table they were sitting on outside one of their favorite cafes and leaned forward closer to Amelia. Having Rachel's hypnotic bright blue eyes staring so hard into her own was unnerving, and next to impossible to look away from. "What's on your mind?" That didn't sound at all like question, but a demand to which Amelia almost gave into.

"I can't stop thinking about—" Amelia caught herself spilling the beans, and not a moment too soon. She shook her head trying to clear her mind of Rachel's influence as soon as she became aware of it. "Rachel!" Sometimes Rachel didn't have complete control over her own gifts, and she used them without meaning to. Other times, she did it on purpose.

Rachel blinked a few times, then pursed her lips. "Sorry, sorry."

It wasn't easy to trust Rachel sometimes. At first, Amelia didn't, not when she found just how easy it would be for her friend to manipulate her. So, she learned everything she could about banshees and found a spell to protect her mind, infusing the magic into the butterfly necklace she wore around her neck. Every spell had a weakness, though, and hers was the lack of power in her spell. Amelia didn't possess the same kind of power as, say, her mother. The necklace worked, just not very well since Rachel still managed to sometimes exert some sort of influence over her when she wasn't careful.

Amelia rubbed her eyes, still feeling a little off. "No, you're not."

"No, I guess not." Rachel replied unabashedly. "I'm worried about you. You're spazzing out over who knows what and not even telling me about it so I can have some laughs over it, too."

"You're not gonna like it." Amelia crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back on her seat to set a bit more space between them.

Rachel arched an eyebrow, challenging Amelia to finally tell her the truth. "C'mon, don't leave me hanging."

"The Cullens." Amelia admitted with a grimace, taking a huge gulp of her coffee.

"Of fucking course." Rachel shook her head in disbelief with a hint of anger in her tone. "I should have known. I just thought you might have some self-preservation." She leaned in to grab Amelia's hand, getting her full attention. "You cannot get involved with… Vampires!" The way the word came out of her friend's mouth sounded like a cuss, something awful. The worst of the worst.

Amelia hurried shush her friend, glancing around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. The couple two tables down was so wrapped up with each other a bomb could have gone off and they wouldn't look away from each other's eyes. Maybe they should have gone to a motel instead of a coffee shop if they wanted to eye fuck each other and judging by the way things were escalating between them, they definitely needed a room. Soon. "It's okay!" She said, trying to placate Rachel and keep her from raising her voice any louder. "I just think they're hiding something and I want to know what it is."

"No, you don't." Rachel replied harshly, tightening her grip on Amelia's arm. With her enhanced strength, Rachel's hand was hurting Amelia and she couldn't pull away so easily. "Those you know whats could kill you! Listen to me, my Mom told me who they are, ok? Yeah, they claim to be vegetarians and all, but you shouldn't trust them."

A sane person would probably listen to Rachel, drop everything and just forget about what she saw before when she brushed Jasper Hale's arm. It was so horrific, those dead men on the side of a rural road, and the terror that permeated through her vision couldn't be anything good. If the Cullens were up to something then she wanted to know and make sure they didn't do anything they shouldn't. And there was something about Alice Cullen that bothered her to no end, starting with the way she always stared expectantly at Amelia like she was waiting for something big to happen.

"I don't." Amelia admitted truthfully. "But—"

"... They're hiding something," Rachel finished off sounding exasperated. "Yeah, I know, but it's none of your business. Back off, Amelia. Back off before they take any sort of interest in you." Finally, her friend released her, but the worried look on her face didn't go away. "You won't like what happens then."

Amelia rubbed her sore arm with a grimace. It would very likely bruise by the next day. "C'mon, Rachel, do you really think my Mom would let anything happen?" If anyone could stop a coven of vampires without breaking a sweat, it was Ana. "Plus, she works at the hospital with the head of their family, I'm pretty sure she keeps an eye on him. Actually, they might even be friends. I think that was the whole point of their meeting at my house the other day."

"You're not listening," Rachel sighed in frustration, pushing her chair back to get up. "And I highly doubt you will, so I'm gonna shut up. But when one of them mistakes you for a milkshake don't say I didn't warn you." She started walking off towards Lucy's, stomping like a five year old.

Amelia hated fighting with Rachel, but had to admit that was an apt analogy. When she first moved to Forks, Rachel was the only one who talked to her without overwhelming her. She didn't trust her right away, not when Ana was still enforcing the 'don't tell anyone our secret' rule. Over time, and as Ana became more lax with that particular rule, Rachel earned Amelia's trust.

"Wait!" For someone so short, Rachel sure could walk fast. "Rachel, just hear me out."

Rachel slowed down her pace, allowing Amelia to fall in line next to her. "What?"

Amelia burrowed her hands deep into her pockets to ward off the cold as she tried to think of a way to explain her curiosity. "Well, it's just that they seem somewhat normal. Seem, at least. I just want to know how they do it. They have a sort of truce with the Quileute tribe in La Push and—"

"And they don't allow them into their land!" Rachel threw her hands up in frustration. "Doesn't that tell you something?"

She paused, taking a moment to reflect on her decisions. Was her curiosity really worth letting everything go to hell if those vampires turned out to be as dangerous as they claimed not to be? A single vision Amelia had—one with death and blood everywhere from Jasper's past— triggered so many question, yes. But there was more than that. So much more. The furtive glances directed at her from the short one, Alice, every time their eyes met during lunch or the hallway surely meant something. How could she ignore that? Ever since she could remember, Ana was obsessed with blending in and keeping a low profile.

"Sure it does…" Amelia admitted awkwardly.

"Then don't be an idiot." Rachel concluded, momentarily dropping the subject when they arrived at Lola's Taqueria.

Since moving to Forks, Amelia hadn't had a decent taco meal until she came across that run down food truck with only two perpetually sticky tables and a couple of creaky rusted chairs. The place had to have so many health violations it was a miracle the health department allowed it to stay open. But Amelia guessed that everything was possible with a little magic. Or money. With how much business they had selling Santeria stuff and their amazing food, which had a 40 minute wait at the very least since you stood in line, the Garza family was doing very well for themselves and could probably pay a nice amount to bribe someone.

The smell of barbacoa was so heavenly mouth-watering even Rachel seemed to forget about their argument. Amelia's stomach gurgled with hunger as she watched the long line. "Do we have time for tacos?" She asked Rachel absentmindedly as a couple walked by them with a large order that had the right amount of red salsa and grilled onions.

"No, we don't." Rachel cried softly, licking her lips. "God, I wish we did."

"Here you go, bitches."

Amelia nearly had a heart attack, she was hungering so hard after those tacos that she didn't notice Lucy coming their way. She was holding a white tote full of goodies on one hand and a white plastic bag on the other that Amelia hoped contained some precious tacos.

"Is that..?"Amelia trailed off, staring longingly.

Lucy grinned, taking a last puff of her cigarette and flicking it to the ground where she stepped on it with her shoe.

Looking at the woman in front of her, Amelia would have never guessed she practiced magic. Lucy looked more like a librarian with a smoking problem. She always wore her dark hair up in a tight bun, and her wardrobe consisted of calf-length skirts, cute button up shirts with floral designs, and impossibly tall heels.

Despite the mean librarian look with her horned rimmed glasses, she was the sweetest, most helpful person. Lucy patiently taught her Santeria and kept Amelia fully stocked on important materials to practice.

"Yes, it is." Lucy replied in a slightly raspy voice. Standing so close to her, the cigarette stench was stronger. Amelia fought against her instinct to scrunch up her nose at the overpowering smell. "Your order and some tacos."

Amelia had never seen Rachel move faster than she did in that moment to get a hold of the food.

"Damn, Rachel, you hungry?"

In two seconds flat, Rachel was chewing and moaning how good it was.

Lucy chuckled, "I swear, my Mom must put a little something extra in those tacos."

"I bet she does," Amelia replied, hoping Rachel wouldn't finish the entire bag before she had a chance to eat some, then turned back to Lucy to receive her goodies, which did not come cheap. This time she ordered more candles, oils, and a few books. The latter turned out to be too pricey for her to afford and instead had to settle for getting photocopies that were still expensive. Lucy was nice but she ran a business, after all.

"What exactly are you trying to get done?" Lucy asked, looking a little concerned with her arms crossed over her chest to ward off some of the chill. She probably wasn't planning to stay out there for too long since she didn't have a coat on.

"Uh, nothing much." Her recent order was mostly for protection and some new reading material. Not that she wouldn't be happy it if any of those new chapters had something to attract or command someone for favors. Doubtful, though. Amelia wanted to catch off guard a certain pixie-like Cullen who could spill the beans about why they all suddenly eyed her like they expected her to sprout wings and fly all around the cafeteria but wasn't about to go so far out of her way to accomplish it, either.

Lucy, of course, was not convinced. "Right, and I was born yesterday." She scoffed. "You, my _brujita_, are planning something nasty against someone. I can feel it, and I just want to remind you of a little thing called karma."

Amelia deflated a little, knowing full well what could happen if she started fooling around for the sake of being an ass. Surely, that wasn't the case when it came to trying to survive a bloodsucker attack or prevent one. But Amelia wasn't about to mention that, either.

"It's okay, don't worry." Knowing that a half baked smile or excuse wouldn't appease Lucy, Amelia didn't bother trying to explain herself. Lucy was like a mom, or a hound, she would smell the lie from a mile away. "I'm not trying to get into any trouble, I promise." And she wasn't. Really. At least not on purpose.

Suddenly a dark look seemed to come over Lucy, her expression turning frosty, and it wasn't because of the cold. "Look, I taught you this because you seemed like a responsible _brujita_." Amelia suddenly got a weird feeling, something scary coming from Lucy, and she couldn't quite place it but she was sure some magic was being projected on purpose to intimidate her. And it worked. Because Amelia knew she didn't stand a chance against her or anyone else with real magic.

The only reason Santeria worked for her was because the rituals were based on following rules and praying to the right gods with a specific request. Anyone could make _ofrendas_, but real magic came from within, and that is something Amelia seriously lacked. "I don't want to find out you're abusing this and pissing off the Orishas. You don't want to do that, believe me." She tilted her head to one side and pulled down the collar of her button up just enough to show an old jagged, pink scar.

* * *

_brujita - little witch_

_ofrendas- offerings_

**The following explanation about santeria is pulled from the internet to further explain what's going on.**

An Orisha is a manifestation of Olodumare (God).

The religion focuses on building relationships between human beings and powerful, but mortal, spirits, called Orishas.

Followers believe that these spirits will give them help in life, if they carry out the appropriate rituals, and enable them to achieve the destiny that God planned for them before they were born.

This is very much a mutual relationship as the Orishas need to be worshipped by human beings if they are to continue to exist.

**Thank you for reading! We're finally getting to the good parts so review and let me know what you think. :) **


	6. Chapter Six

**ANA**

On weekends when Amelia was gone with her father, Ana didn't always have to work. She preferred to, and weekend shifts were always available, but every now and again a break was much needed. Like now. Ana was exhausted and would like nothing more than to fall asleep watching a movie and not wake up until Monday morning. That was a fantasy, of course. There was too much for her to do and she could only go about it when Amelia wasn't present. Her daughter was too observant and inquisitive for her own good sometimes. Ana didn't like keeping secrets from Amelia, but she'd rather keep her safe and sound in the dark about certain matters than putting her in danger by telling her too much.

After Amelia left, she went to the kitchen in search of a bottle of wine only to realize she'd run out. The bottle in the fridge only had enough for half a glass, maybe. That would not do. With a sigh, she closed the fridge and contemplated whether or not she should go to the store to pick up some more or stay in to watch a movie. Did she really want to risk running into Joy or Aaron if any of them decided to pop by for a food run? No, she did not. But staying in without at least some wine and snacks didn't sound appealing either. If she went to the store she could stop by a fast food restaurant on the way back and order a cheeseburger to eat at home. It'd be a nice change to eat some junk food without her daughter's judgmental stare looming over her. Amelia couldn't stand the idea of meat being cooked in the house and always complained if Ana dared eat any in front of her. Her lectures were long and often detailed the mistreatment of the poor animals at the slaughterhouse.

Within an hour, Ana had changed and was on her way to La Push to meet with Billy Black. The man had guessed she wasn't the usual run of the mill human not long after she moved to Forks while visiting his friend Charlie one afternoon when Ana was leaving for work. He didn't confront her about it, but the look he gave her said it all. He knew what she was and wanted to let her know. Having been found out, Ana had no other choice but to introduce herself. She had to if she wanted to keep the peace and it was always a good idea to make friends rather than enemies. That was a lesson Ana had to learn the hard way pretty early on.

Thankfully, the Quileute only disliked bloodsuckers and had no problems with another magic being moving in nearby. As long as she didn't pose a threat to the tribe, which she didn't because what good were a bunch of natives to her in the grand scheme of things? Since then, Ana made it a point to visit her new friends whenever she could. A trip to their lands for a little shopping never hurt anyone. They made the most beautiful baskets with intricate designs depicting their history. Ana was now the proud owner of a myriad of handwoven baskets she bought from their market and several other trinkets. The good news? She wasn't running out of storage space any time soon.

Today, though, Ana wasn't going for a casual visit. A little birdy told her one of the Quileute boys finally phased, just like she thought they would, and went a little crazy out in the woods. Ana didn't plan to intervene, at least not yet. Her plan was to make her presence known at the rez and remind the tribe leaders she was around in case they did need a little extra magic to control their puppies. Ana was very willing to help. For a favor, of course. Having the Quileutes indebted to her couldn't hurt in the future.

Ana decided to shop for a new jacket at the Lonesome Creek Store first and then go out for a bite to the Three Rivers restaurant. If it could even be called that. It was really a gas station with a small building off to the side where the kitchen was with a few tables. The place had the whole homey and rustic thing going. They served amazing burgers, which she ordered along with fish and chips. An upside of living near the coast was the fresh and delicious fish. It wasn't like Galveston where she had to keep an eye on how recent the last oil spill was and whether or not it was safe to consume seafood.

"Enjoy!" A young girl with long dark hair delivered her food to the table in a time manner and with a big smile.

Ana returned the expression as she held up her glass. "Thank you, Leah but could you refill my water, please?"

Leah nodded and walked away. She came back with a jug filled with water that tasted like it came from the tap and Ana used that moment to grab a hold of her hand. She made it seem like a gesture to thank her, even tipped her a ten dollar bill for being so nice.

It's a good thing the poor girl was so oblivious to magic around her. Good thing for Ana, at least. From one touch, she was able to glean all she needed to know. Leah argued with her family that morning before work because her boyfriend Sam was missing and they wouldn't let her go look for him. He'd been gone for a couple of days now, even skipped classes at the community college, and everyone was acting like it was no big deal. What a scandal. Ana felt sorry for the kid. She was only a bit older than her own daughter and obviously a very nice girl. Now she was involved with the wrong man and would probably have her heart broken. Not for the first time, Ana wished she could tell someone the truth, explain to them there was a greater power at work and that it wasn't their fault things were going wrong. Leah probably wouldn't believe her, of course. Despite growing up liistening to the stories of her ancestors; to her they were only fairy tales.

After her meal, Ana stacked her plates and left after waving goodbye to the nice wait staff. She wrapped a scarf around her neck and put on the new warm jacket she bought to keep warm out there. The rain had ceased for now so she didn't need a hat but maybe she should have invested in ear warmers. This was her very first winter in Forks and she'd barely survived. Snow didn't stick to the ground back in Texas, much less piled up. Standing there by the door as she braced herself for the cold air, Ana missed the southern heat more than ever. Her body just wasn't used to the freezing temperatures. Sometimes it felt like she couldn't stay warm enough even with the heater on. The cold seemed to have burrowed itself deep into her bones and every fiber of her being. She missed Houston. But she couldn't go back. Not now and maybe not ever if she wanted to stay alive and keep her daughter safe.

Just as she was exiting, someone else was coming in. Ana bumped into Charlie Swan of all people.

**Grisly Murder Shocks Port Angeles**

**Amelia**

First period went by painfully slow. Amelia couldn't tear her eyes off the clock on the wall, counting down the seconds until she could see Rachel and talk to her about the leading headline on the newspaper. She was late for school and missed seeing her friend because she was ambushed by her mom to have a 'talk,' which turned out to be a warning not to go out of town on her own anymore or else there would be consequences. Even her father was there to deliver the final sentence. Her parents barely talked to each other more than a few words on a weekly basis, most of which was about Amelia, and now suddenly they were chatting away behind her back acting like she was a helpless kid who couldn't take care of herself. It angered Amelia to no end.

Getting lectured about being safe when she was out and about in town was so ridiculous, especially because she was usually around Rachel, who was more than capable of taking care of herself, and nothing ever happened in Forks. Amelia wasn't willing to give up her freedom because a murder happened somewhere else, not when Houston was ten times worse and Ana didn't have a problem with it before. What could have possibly put her parents so on edge? What could be worse than vampires? Who, by the way, lived nearby and went to school with her.

"Are you okay?" Jasper's voice was low and quiet, though his gaze never strayed from the front of the room where Mrs. Kelley was scribbling down a writing prompt and giving directions for the lesson.

To say that Amelia was surprised to have him speak to her out of his own volition was an understatement. Ever since they moved at the beginning of the month getting a simple hello from him or any of his siblings was like pulling teeth, painful and irritating for both parties. In other words, she wasn't making any progress on her Cullen investigation, but her problem was completely unrelated to them at the moment, and, therefore, Jasper. Although, she couldn't deny that she was at the very least a little thrilled he was talking to her.

"Yes, I'm fine." Amelia whispered back. From out of the corner of her eye she noticed an almost unnoticeable displeased twitch of his lips. "Not that it's any of your business."

He scoffed imperceptibly, turning his attention back to the workbook on his desk and writing down some notes, which was something she probably should also be doing. "Then can you stop shaking your leg? It's distracting, and annoying."

Amelia's automatic response was to stop shaking her leg immediately, an action she wasn't even aware of doing, and apologize but his tone wasn't very nice to begin with and he didn't say please. He opted to sound curt and flippant, and she didn't appreciate it at all. So, instead of forcing her to stop she resumed her old habit and continued to annoy him. It was petty and childish, yes, and she probably shouldn't be antagonizing someone who could crush her with his pinky, but in the end the look on his face was completely worth it. He looked like he'd bitten a lemon, and Amelia basked in the satisfaction of knowing she got under his skin. Because to hell with him if he couldn't at least be polite or act like a decent human being.

As always, Mr. Banner's class was a busy one and Amelia couldn't get a word in with her friend if she didn't want to get detention. She eyed Rachel impatiently from across the classroom as they rotated from worm station to worm station taking notes and couldn't believe their bad luck. It wasn't until Gym that they were able to have a proper conversation as they warmed up to play a game of volleyball. Amelia had to brace herself for the possibility of getting hit in the face by a stray shot if she wasn't careful because that was just her luck. Being sportsy just wasn't her thing and she'd some to terms with it a long time ago. It was the teachers who didn't believe her and forced her to play when she knew she'd end up at the nurse's office at some point because of it. But you know what, to hell with them because her mother would come up to the school and complain if Amelia ended up with a bruised face. The principal didn't know all the ways Ana could make his life miserable if he didn't listen. Honestly, Amelia almost felt sorry for him if he ever had the pleasure of having an argument with Ana. May the Lord help his soul and all. Until then, Amelia had to hold on tight and hope not to get hit by a stray ball.

"Did you tell your parents we went by the park that night?" Rachel asked in between jumping jacks. She wasn't even out of breath. This was probably a walk in the park for Rachel. Amelia, on the other hand, was already sweating bullets. But this was acceptable compared to playing dodgeball. Somehow Lori always aimed for Amelia and she hit the target every time.

"Of course not!" If Amelia had mentioned that tidbit of information her mother would have thrown a huge fit. "They don't need to know that." They certainly didn't know about Amelia's extracurricular activities with magic at school and in Port Angeles. As far as Ana knew, Amelia didn't practice any magic at all and she'd like to keep it that way. Ana implemented the no magic rule since they moved to Forks.

"I didn't either." Rachel admitted, sounding a lot more regretful than Amelia thought she'd be. Rachel shared a close bond with her mother, one that allowed them to talk about pretty much anything, and Amelia would be lying if she didn't admit that it saddened her to realize she couldn't say the same about her own mother.

Between work and school, Amelia and Ana didn't spend much time together anymore. Over time, barely speaking to each other became the norm as they navigated around the house on different schedules. And that was alright. Ana couldn't help it, she had to work, and Amelia could never hold it against her mother when she was doing her best for both of them. Complaining would only make Ana feel worse than she probably already did. On the plus side, the lack of parental supervision is what allowed her to study magic on her own.

"Well, good. If my Dad found out…"

"Shit show?" Rachel finished for her.

Amelia nodded. "An unnecessary shit show. Nothing happened to us." Blessedly. Amelia was fully aware of the bullet they dodged and how close they may have come to being in danger, but the murder at the park in Port Angeles was probably random. Bad things happened all the time. Her parents were just being paranoid.

There was a short period of time where they didn't talk, both solely focused on finishing their warm ups. Amelia could see her friend wanted to say something else, something important, but was keeping her thoughts to herself for some reason. "Spit it out, already." Amelia managed to wheeze out after a lap around the track.

Rachel slowed down, which was a huge relief for Amelia, and came to a full stop around the corner away from Coach Clapp's sight and booming chastising voice if he caught them slacking off. The volleyball game was about to start as soon as they finished around the track. "I overheard my Mom talking to Chief Swan about the story on the paper." And judging by her grave expression, Amelia could tell it wasn't good news at all. "A lot of details were left out. Important details. That woman who died, the way she was murdered…"

"What?" Amelia snapped, getting tired of her friend beating around the bush. "She was drowned, right?"

"Technically, yes. That was the official cause of death." She admitted after gathering her thoughts for a second and looking around to make sure Coach Clapp was still distracted. "There's more, though. I obviously haven't seen the police report or anything but Chief Swan did mention there were signs of torture and she was still tied up when they found the body." When that failed to get a reaction, Rachel gave her a look of incredulity. Amelia rolled her eyes. The picture Rachel painted was gruesome, but Amelia didn't understand what the big deal was. "Seriously, you can be so dense. Amelia, she had iron chains around her wrists with weird 'satanic symbols.'"

"Oh," Amelia breathed out, starting to understand where Rachel was going with her line of thought. "You mean she was…"

"Yes, she could have been magic. And she wasn't the only one. There was another murder like it in the last few weeks before Port Angeles. That's three people killed so far."

Three? How come nobody mentioned it? Amelia was sure that something considered the slightest bit 'satanic' would be all over the news. "Where?"

"Seattle first, then Olympia and now Port Angeles. And we didn't know about it because one body was burned and the other hanged. I know this is starting to sound like a procedural cop show or something, but the common denominator in all this was the iron chains around their wrists."

Drowned, burned and hanged with chains around their wrists…

"Shit."

Ana only mentioned it once when they first started talking about Amelia possibly inheriting magic, but it was such a frighteningly ridiculous notion that she found it hard to believe hunters existed. Witch hunters, to be exact. It was their MO to make an example of the women they murdered by mimicking the way a witch would have been killed centuries ago when people pointed fingers, called someone evil and they were swiftly executed. A cold chill ran down Amelia's spine at the realization that the killer was a threat after all. Even Rachel would have been in danger. And Amelia—the sorry excuse for a witch that she was—wouldn't be able to do a thing to help.

* * *

**Sorry for the late update! Hopefully I'll get back to updating regularly from now on.**

**Thank you nickaroos for your reviews. I really appreciate it.**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Alice**

Alice made sure she would be at the hospital in Carlisle's office with Jasper when Amelia's mother, Ana, showed up. It was difficult for Jasper to be surrounded by so many people, especially where blood could be spilled and trigger his thirst, but it was extremely important for him to be there so Alice spent the better part of her morning religiously paying attention to the future trying to figure out whether or not it'd be safe after all. It took some cajoling and negotiating, but finally Alice managed to convince Jasper to go along with her after warning Carlisle of Ana's visit.

Her family wished Ana wasn't so weary of them, specially Carlisle, whose curiosity was peaked and wanted nothing more than to have a lengthy chat with someone who practiced magic. In his three hundred plus years, Carlisle had never come across a magic being, only heard of them, and Alice wondered how they managed to become even more secretive than her kind. When they first found out about Ana they didn't know how it could affect their move back to Forks. Thanks to Alice they were able to get a headstart on the ugly conversation. In the end it turned out well, just like Alice thought. But it could have taken a turn for the worse if her family hadn't taken the first friendly step to make sure rumors didn't spread about them among the surprising boom of 'others' in the small town. Who would have thought Forks would become a sort of haven for not-quite-human beings with the close-minded Quileutes nearby.

"Alice." Carlisle's voice brought her back to their conversation at hand. He was calmly sitting behind his desk, though he still kept a close eye on Jasper who hadn't moved or said anything since they arrived half an hour ago. Ana Alcazar made the decision to see Carlisle the moment she found out about the murder in Port Angeles, but she still couldn't make up her mind when exactly she would ask him to look after her daughter and so Alice waited.

"It won't be long now." The clock on the wall read 4:49 PM. "She's coming down."

Carlisle nodded, somewhat pleased.

The only one who didn't seem pleased was Jasper. Since they arrived at the parking lot, he decided to hold his breath and keep his mouth shut during the entire conversation to minimize the chances of losing control. Alice's heart broke for him. After almost fifty years, Jasper still struggled to keep his thirst in check and was tired of being the odd man out. Lately, Alice would sometimes catch him fantasizing about leaving and joining his nomad friends Peter and Charlotte to avoid the family's concern and Edward's reproachful stares. She didn't need Jasper's gift to realize how frustrated he'd become, not to mention tired of trying so hard and getting nowhere. In his mind, his lack of restraint equaled weakness, and he detested showing weakness. One look at him and Alice could tell how lonely he felt and out of place. Edward would occasionally confirm her theories on some of Jasper's darker days when the thirst was all he could think about at school. At that point, Alice had thought that maybe if he knew who those high school kids were, their hopes and dreams for the rest of their short lives, he'd have more restraint. It worked sometimes. Briefly. Other times, Alice could tell she made it worse.

Hopefully, his hopelessness would soon end. Alice's visions about his future had become somewhat murky and muddled because at this point decisions hadn't been made about absolutely anything. One thing was clear, though, Amelia was an important player in his future and it didn't take a genius to figure out how. Whether Jasper wanted to admit it or not, he was more than 'slightly curious' about her and it was that same interest that had their entire family concerned while Alice grew happier for him. Because if he found love, someone to ground and cherish him like a mate would, then her family could stay together and nothing had to change. Problem solved! At least she hoped. One of her visions still foreshadowed the possibility of their small family being separated. That is not something she could allow. The thought of being separated from her siblings and surrogate parents was inconceivable in her mind. They were they only family she'd ever known and she loved them fiercely. And so she couldn't stop worrying and obsessively looking for clues in the future to avoid that very same grim fate.

All the prying and hovering put Jasper on edge, making him feel confined and judged by everyone else. Alice felt like the worst friend in the world for subjecting him to it. She hadn't wished to be able to keep her feelings to herself as much as she did these past few weeks to save him some grief, he received enough lectures and mistrust from others. He didn't need hers as well on top of everything.

With Carlisle's decision, Alice had another vision. Or something like that. It was more like looking through a blurry lens that refused to focus, and it gave her a headache every time she tried to force the vision. She didn't want to mention it either so Jasper wouldn't get upset, or for anyone to get their hopes up because even seeing it herself, it was hard to believe.

When Alice saw Amelia in Jasper's future, how she'd become the most important person in his life, she imagined that'd mean she was going to become one of them. There wasn't another way for them to be together, not with time and the Volturi against them, both of which would eventually catch up to them. As a mortal, Amelia would eventually die one way or another, and if the Volturi found out, they'd speed up the progress by doing it themselves, which would cause their entire family to get involved and possibly not make it out alive. That did not fit with her agenda. There was no doubt in her mind they'd all fight for them and so it was up to her to figure out why she saw Jasper looking like a human next to Amelia. It worried her and constantly weighed in her mind how that could be possible.

After years of knowing Jasper, Alice couldn't imagine him giving up immortality even if there was a chance to find a cure for it. He didn't know any other life. The years following his change while in Maria's coven changed him. Being around so much carnage and continuous warfare didn't help him to retain any of his humanity or many memories at all and he'd never been interested in looking back at his past either. On the other hand, if Rosalie found out… Alice didn't see that one turning out well, either. She loved her sister too much to ever give her that kind of hope only for it to turn out to be an impossibility.

"Is this really necessary?" Jasper asked through gritted teeth, turning slightly towards them.

"Yes." Alice repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time as she walked over to him and hugged him from behind, fervently trying to convey how much she trusted him as well as reassure him, hoping he would stop beating himself up for his lack of control and have some faith in himself. "We have to help her, Jasper. Her life could be in danger."

Jasper's body didn't relax like she hoped he would. "Her life is in danger every day. She's human."

"Jasper, please." Carlisle's tone was slightly chastising, having heard the same argument over and over lately. "We've gone over this before. Keeping an eye out for any possible threats is not a bother."

"Plus, it's better to stay on the witch's good side." Alice added, giggling at the look Carlisle had. He didn't want to use the W word in case it was offensive, which it wasn't, but he insisted on cautiously approaching them.

A knock on the door drew their attention.

"Come in." Carlisle said, folding his hands on top of his desk and offering a kind smile to Ana who still wore her nurse uniform and did not look particularly happy to be there. It was nearing the end of her shift, her black hair was up in a messy ponytail and the dark shadows under her eyes were made more prominent by the pale shade of her olive skin that only served to make her seem a few years older than she probably was.

Ana didn't seem surprised to see all of them gathered there. "Dr. Cullen." She closed the door quietly behind her and went on to stand in front of his desk rather than sitting even after Carlisle motioned for her to do so. "It's alright, I won't be long." Her gaze briefly flickered back towards Alice and Jasper with some mistrust before addressing Carlisle. The grave expression on her face told Alice all she needed to know, Ana still couldn't find it in herself to fully accept them even when she needed their help. "I guess you know why I'm here."

Carlisle nodded. "Call me Carlisle, please, and only that you have a request for us."

"The murdered girl in Port Angeles was magic." Ana explained, crossing her arms over her chest with a sigh as if talking about it was a difficult physical feat. Obviously, she wasn't used to opening up about the subject to strangers. An understandable problem. "And I'm afraid a hunter might be the one to blame."

"A hunter?" Jasper asked, perplexed. The mere notion was probably ridiculous to him. And very interesting. Hunting is something he knew a lot about.

Ana didn't bother glancing back towards him, though a thin line of worry did appear on her forehead. "Unlike you, we're still human and can die." She snapped. "Hunters are idiots who want to kill us either for sport or religious views. They only find us when we practice obvious magic and it makes it onto the papers. I don't know how they found out about those two girls, but whoever killed them is getting awfully close to Forks and Amelia can't defend herself."

The rumor mill at school said otherwise, but Alice chose to keep that to herself. For now. From what she heard, Amelia was quite the businesswoman and was charging some kids a small fee in exchange for a favor, usually a spelled book for their school work or a love spell disguised as advice. Alice searched the future for signs of whether or not that made a difference, the last thing she wanted was to get Amelia in trouble if her mother didn't approve of her practicing magic.

"Why is that?" Alice chimed in, tearing herself away from Jasper's side to stand next to Carlisle's chair and get a better look at the woman to gage her reactions. A blip of her heartbeat made Alice wonder if she was hiding something.

Ana's eyes narrowed unpleasantly. "Her magic is weak, and her psychometry only works sometimes. Mostly with older objects."

A soft, incredulous chuckle escaped Jasper, probably remembering the first time he met Amelia and she had a vision of his past, though he didn't find it so amusing at first and neither did Rosalie. Everyone was worried that she might have seen something she shouldn't have, and in the end there wasn't anything to worry about because whatever she saw only peaked her curiosity. It couldn't be that bad if she was more curious than scared.

Carlisle's smile was charming as he tried to defuse the situation. "Miss Alcazar, I assure you that everything will be fine." Despite his assurances, Alice noted how Ana still didn't seem relieved in the least. "My daughter Alice will keep an eye on her."

"I want your word that I'll be the first to know if she sees someone coming." A tone of urgency rang in her voice, that of a worried mother. "But she can't know, and I'll be in your debt."

The picture in Alice's mind of Jasper and Amelia together became clearer, yet Alice still didn't see how Jasper could possibly stay with her. In that moment, Alice's worries only grew, and then she had another vision. In the background, she could hear Carlisle still talking, though it slowly faded as her other senses focused on what she was seeing, and it wasn't good. A decision was made, one that put Amelia in grave danger.

"Someone is here in Forks." Alice started saying, squinting her eyes as if that would help her get a clearer picture. "A woman. She's outside school watching everybody at the end of the day from across the street."

Jasper pressed pen and paper into Alice's hands.

"What does she look like?" Ana asked.

Without looking down, Alice started to sketch the woman's face as she continued to pay attention to her vision. Whoever she was, she didn't take her eyes off Amelia when she walked out of school with a group of friends and didn't seem the slightest bit intimidated by Emmett and Edward's appearance nearby. The woman was unconcerned. Unafraid. Why?

When Alice finished drawing, she passed it over to Ana whose face was white as a sheet of paper. She surprised Alice with a look of relief, like she expected worse. "It's a stranger." She whispered, briefly closing her eyes. "Thank God." Her lack of reaction made Alice wonder what she expected to see, and if she was running from something or someone.

"I should tell you," Alice began to say when she saw Ana lowering her guard in the future. "She's not going away. I see her in several places following Amelia no matter what. She doesn't plan to approach her so Amelia is safe for now, but she keeps hovering around."

"You'll keep an eye on her, then?"

Alice nodded reassuringly, having a hard time containing her happiness. Finally, she'd be allowed to start befriending Amelia. She was so excited to make a new friend and gain a sister soon. They were going to be great friends, and as such, Alice planned to make sure Amelia was safe for her sake and Jasper's.

**Amelia**

Some time after being banned from leaving town during the weekends, two weird things started to happen in Amelia's life that she had no explanation for. First, Alice Cullen started saying hi to her in the hallways and even sitting with her at lunch briefly to tell her she liked her boots when Rachel got held up in the lunch line. That whole experience felt surreal to her and she hadn't been sure of what to say other than stutter a silly thank you with her apple halfway to her mouth. In response to her ineptitude, Alice grinned almost knowingly and announced that she knew they were going to be great friends, then practically waltzed her way back to her own table when Rachel approached them.

Rosalie, the tall blonde vampire glared daggers at her while the big bear of a man next to her called Emmett seemingly tried to placate her and failed. Amelia couldn't tear her eyes away from their table after that, still weirded out by the strange encounter. And it wasn't just her staring, the entire cafeteria was buzzing with curiosity probably wondering why the Cullens were suddenly acting like a social bunch when they hadn't bothered to befriend anyone in the entire school since they moved to town. They didn't talk to anyone and no one would know much about them if it wasn't for rumors here and there coming from the hospital staff where Dr. Cullen worked. Having so many eyes on her made her anxious. She didn't like being the center of attention, much less the hushed whispers that followed her the rest of the day.

Even more unnerving was Jasper's intense gaze. At some point their eyes met and he didn't look away or try to pretend it was an accident. He was staring and didn't care if he was caught. Amelia didn't like it at all. His eyes weren't inquisitive or curious, they were dark and chilling, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. It was like a warning to stay away and Amelia planned to, specially after class that same morning when he gave her the cold shoulder. Their scripted conversation in Spanish was hell. His responses were curt and almost choked out, like he was in pain the whole time. Well, Amelia didn't exactly enjoy herself, either. Spanish class wasn't meant to be fun, but did he really have to make both their lives so awkward every day? Not once in the last couple of weeks did Jasper say something nice or even try to pretend he didn't want to have anything to do with humans. Just her luck she ended up as a sulky vampire's partner in class. Dealing with an ill-tempered vampire was so tiring. Maybe his age was starting to catch up with him. After all, old people were known to be cranky every now and then. But she wasn't his personal punching bag. If he thought he could keep being an ass to her, then he was crazy. Her patience was running very thin. The alternative was an energizer bunny like Alice and that was almost worse than sulky Jasper Hale.

Plus, Amelia decided there were other things to focus on, like finding out why her parents were freaking out over a murder investigation in another town and more importantly, convincing them to let her at least make a trip to La Push. Being cooped up in Forks was a nightmare when the locals' idea of fun was having a coffee at Joe's or going to the diner run by Joy over by Main st. There were few shopping choices all around unless she wanted to build a new shed and go hunting or hiking, none of which even remotely interested her. Ever since she moved to Forks, her Dad tried to take her out hunting several times and she kept saying no because going out to kill Bambi or Winnie Pooh should be a crime and she'd probably cry if she shot something. No reason to deny it. Seventeen or not, Amelia wasn't afraid to admit she'd cry if she saw an animal get senselessly killed. Plus, she hated guns. They were loud, and sometimes idiots used them to do stupid things. Like go hunting while drunk. Everything was fun and giggles until a drunk accidentally shoots one of his buddies or himself in the foot. It was more common than people thought. Her mom saw a lot of idiots at the ER where she worked.

However, it seemed like the tables turned on her and instead of her being the pushy one trying to find answers, the Cullens decided to follow her everywhere. They still didn't get close enough for her to satisfy her curiosity at least, but they were close enough that she noticed them suddenly being everywhere she went. Maybe they were doing it on purpose as payback for those times she annoyed them before or for calling them bloodsuckers when she talked to Rachel knowing they were within earshot. Whatever the reason, she wanted them to stop.

If that wasn't enough, strange dreams kept her up at night. On a good night she'd only wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, her heart pounding in her chest like she'd just run a marathon and she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. Thankfully, her mom was usually at work when her nightmares occurred, or sleeping like the dead, too tired to notice something was wrong. Other nights—twice so far—she woke up screaming so loud she was thankful there was a significant distance between her home and the neighbors or the police would have been called. Sometimes, there were tears in her eyes.

So far the specifics of her dreams eluded her. When Rachel asked her for details, Amelia couldn't piece together a coherent reason why she was so freaked out. All that was left when she woke up was a deep sense of loss and an unfamiliar pit of dread in her stomach. Since the first few times she had those dreams, Amelia tried to cut ties with whatever was causing her subconscious to go haywire but nothing worked.

She wrapped white ribbons all around herself, like a mummy, said a quick blessing and started cutting it off herself from different sides until they were completely off her in tatters on the floor. That obviously didn't work, and her mom almost caught her in the act of performing magic. Even the egg in a glass of water under her bed thing didn't work, which led her to believe there was something else going on because her nightmares didn't feel right. Something supernatural was happening.

Two weeks after the nightmares started and the lack of sleep was taking its toll on her, making her look like death warmed over, and her grades were even starting to slip. That would draw her mother's attention for sure and she was trying her hardest to avoid having that particular conversation. Ana was working weird hours, tired a lot of the time, and still somehow found the time to pry into her life. There was a lot of tension between them since she wasn't allowed to go anywhere without asking for permission first like she was 12 years old. Not only that, Amelia felt—and looked—like a zombie. She'd wake up late in the mornings and miss her chance to do her hair or makeup so she had to do it some time after first period if she got the chance. So, of course Jasper Hale got to see her bright and early in the morning in a ponytail without any mascara or eyeliner or concealer and falling asleep in class. Amelia wanted to shout how unfair that was

To Amelia's dismay, she started to fall asleep during Spanish class—again—and was almost caught by Mrs. Kelley. Almost, because Jasper, bless his heart, kicked her lightly under the table seconds before the teacher walked by. Amelia gasped softly, confused at first, then snapped back into focus and rambled some Spanish that was probably unrelated to the assignment to cover up her slip up. Mrs. Kelley didn't like it when her students went rogue, so she told her to get back to work. It was still better than getting detention for falling asleep or having the concerned teacher call her Mom.

"Thank you." Amelia whispered utterly embarrassed, rubbing her eyes in a pointless effort to wake herself up. At this rate, she was thinking of resorting to coffee in the mornings if it would help keep her awake. Or maybe an energy drink. A couple of them. They'd probably taste better than coffee.

Jasper hmmed without looking up from his workbook. "You don't look so good."

Amelia yawned, then shot him a glare for pointing out the obvious, though not without noticing the way his wavy blonde hair fell over his face and just how cute he looked so early in the morning. He must have had an extra pint of blood that morning to look so perky. "Gee, thanks."

He surprised her with the ever so small upturn of his lips that could almost pass for a smile. It was shocking enough that some of the residual lethargy from lack of sleep left her and she started to feel more awake. It was so surprising to see such a normal reaction out of him, a nice change from his previous standoffish attitude. She couldn't stop herself from chuckling, which she of course hid with a fake cough at the last second. God forbid he started to think she was getting comfortable around him and got any weird ideas that she was going to start fawning all over him like the other girls even though she was starting to notice his manly attributes.

One time, when their eyes met on accident, she realized his eyes had gone back to golden brown and she had to admit they were stunning. Enthralling, even. It blew her mind how no one questioned their bizarre eye color when it was his family's most prominent feature after their pasty white skin and odd dark circles under their eyes. Some people's lack of know-how was incredible. To her, it was like a screaming neon sign that said 'not human.' She figured it was like how for some reason no one could tell Clark Kent was Surperman even though the only difference was the glasses. People saw what they wanted to see and ignored warning signs.

During the rest of their class Amelia found it difficult to keep her eyes from wandering over to him. Not for the first time, she noticed how handsome he was, even more so when he wasn't looking at her like she was an annoying fly he wanted to swat away. It was embarrassing, really, how she was staring like a creep because she thought he was good looking. All vampires were good looking, that's how they caught their meals. They were basically walking, non-breathing honey traps for their prey and she didn't want to end up as anyone's snack.

The bell rang and just after she moved towards the door her foot caught on a chair, because apparently she was turning into a clumsy mess, or maybe someone purposely tripped her, she didn't know. It was hard to tell with how busy she was trying to avoid face planting onto the floor. Trying her best not to break her nose, she put her arm out and luckily caught the side of a desk with her elbow. Her funny bone caught the worst of it, shooting a strong wave of pain all the way up to her shoulder. As much as she tried to keep quiet and avoid embarrassing herself, a whimper escaped her lips and tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. When she opened them as she attempted to straighten herself up, she saw and heard Sandy, one of Lori's goons, failing to stifle a fit of giggles. If that wasn't obvious enough, Sandy's triumphant glint in her eye completely gave her away.

"You bitch." Amelia hissed at her, rubbing her arm.

Sandy smirked and turned around to leave, ignoring Amelia after giving her a dismissive once over.

Embarrassed more than ever, Amelia shrugged some good Samaritan's attempt to help her and hurried to pick up her stuff so she could get out of there. Jasper caught up to her in the hallways easy enough. He gently grabbed her non-injured arm that was holding a binder to stop her. "Wait, you forgot this." In his other hand he was holding a book she was reading for English class. It must have fallen out of her backpack when she almost fell, she realized. Great. Clumsy, and forgetful on top of that.

Oddly enough, realizing that he was trying to be nice for once did help her feel a little better, mostly because she needed that book for homework or she'd get behind on the assignment again. Some of her anger and annoyance evaporated even though the customary stick-up-his-ass expression was back. Amelia sighed in defeat, her morning already ruined, and snatched it away from him, then turned around and stormed off in the direction of her next class.

Alice's daily attempt to engage her in conversation came after lunch instead of before. In fact, it was during study hall when Amelia decided she couldn't take it anymore after being constantly messed with for whatever reason by Lori's goonies. Sandy's foot up her ass was only the beginning.

During Gym, Lori herself shouldered her up against a locker, and called her an asshole in front of the whole class. If that wasn't enough, someone stole her hair brush and bra from out of her backpack when she was taking a shower. The blue bra later showed up pinned up to the announcements board outside the locker rooms next to the game schedules for the entire class to gawk and whistle at. It didn't stop there. One of the boys grabbed it and started playing around with it, then another did the same, and another one, in a sick game of hot potato until Coach Clapp confiscated it and assigned them suicides for an hour after school.

"Who's a 34C?" Eric Ford called out, followed by more laughter.

A throb started pulsing at her temples, which turned into a painful headache brought on by the overwhelming anger and embarrassment of having her private possessions paraded around in front of a bunch of morons. Lori's smirk from across the room made Amelia want to punch her stupid face. The mocking wave she sent her as she walked off was the last straw and Amelia would have gone after her if Rachel didn't stop her.

"Don't make a scene." Rachel warned, steering Amelia away. If not for Rachel's superior strength, Amelia wasn't sure what she would have done to that girl.

"She did it!" Amelia managed to say through gritted teeth, still struggling to pull away. "I'm going to wring her neck." Rachel miraculously managed to drag her off to an empty classroom to calm her down. "How dare she?"

Rachel leaned against the door with her arms crossed over her chest to stop her from leaving, shaking her head disapprovingly. "She's a bitch, you know that."

"She crossed a line!" Amelia exclaimed loudly, pacing back and forth, patiently waiting for Rachel to lower her guard so she could go after Lori. "That's my stuff, Rachel! My fucking personal stuff!"

"It makes no sense." Rachel agreed, though it was mostly to herself. "Lori is not usually an ass like that. She usually sticks to insults and occasional shove."

Amelia stopped pacing, turning back to face Rachel with an incredulous look on her face. "It was a stupid prank, of course it doesn't make sense. But she's going to pay for it." Coming up with a harmless curse shouldn't be too hard. A face full of acne would ruin Lori's social life for sure.

After taking some deep breaths, Amelia's anger started to dissipate, leaving her drained and a little teary. It was weird, her emotions changed so suddenly as if done by the simple flick of a switch. The flip-flopping of her emotions was figuratively giving her whiplash. And so here she was, signing in for study hall at the library and biding her time until old lady Mrs. Boyd snoozed off. She couldn't endure any more humiliation, she'd had enough for one day.

Twenty minutes later, Mrs. Boyd conked out at her desk with a book in her hands and Amelia made her escape. Thank god she was wearing two layers of clothes to cover up the fact that she was missing her bra. Walking down the quiet hallway, Amelia was still fuming after what Lori did to her. At least she still had a jacket to zip up. Another part of her that was more rational wondered why she would do something like that. Lori wasn't exactly a saint, she was snobby and bitchy to pretty much everyone outside her social circle, always ready to scare some poor freshman for getting in her way, but she didn't strike Amelia as the type to play pranks like that.

Last time Amelia checked, Lori had her sights firmly planted on Sean taking her to Prom, and couldn't be bothered to give anyone else the time of day. The little love spell Amelia cast worked wonders for Lori, Sean couldn't take his eyes off her for a whole week, which gave Lori enough time to work her own girly magic and make sure his attention didn't wander after the spell broke. He even asked her to Prom. Mission accomplished. Why was she so pissed off with Amelia? What did she do? They barely spoke a few words the past weeks, mostly inconsequential jabs at each other, and nothing serious. This whole thing couldn't possibly be over the damn parking spot, could it? Because Amelia won that fair and square.

"Amelia, wait!" Alice's chirpy voice stopped Amelia feet away from the double doors leading to the parking lot in the back. It was easier to sneak out that way without having to pass by the front office where an office aid or secretary could stop her from leaving without an excuse.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! I would love to hear what you guys think of the story so far. **


	8. Chapter Eight

**Josephine**

Josephine watched from afar how the girl she influenced to do her dirty work got into a car while arguing with another boy and realized maybe she shouldn't have used an obvious target to follow Liliana. This one was quite popular, and too many people wanted her attention. Students wouldn't leave that Lori girl alone to carry out what Josephine set out to do in the first place without a lot of excuses and maneuvering. Not worth it. Next time she'd make sure to pick a little wallflower to avoid so much fuss.

Liliana was under the protection of some vampires, one of which apparently could see the future and was working extra hard to stay one step ahead. Because of her, Josephine had to come up with a spell to cloak herself to even get anywhere near the school. And now this, a teenage boy sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. She'd come this far tracking down Liliana and no one was going to stand in her way. It was time for Josephine to get what she wanted for once. This terrible life she'd been living since Liliana fucked up had to end. She couldn't imagine yet another lifetime of fruitlessly searching only to arrive too late and do it all over again when the slippery worm got away by her own hand. Almost a century and a half later, and she was still kicking around. New body, same little fucker. This time Josephine was stepping up her game and didn't have an ounce of patience or mercy left in her.

Finally, the stars must have blessed her because Josephine found Liliana at her most vulnerable— as a kid, basically—and before she could trigger her memories from before. This had never happened. It truly was a miracle and who was she to ignore this gift that fell onto her lap out of nowhere? She could stop what they started so long ago and feel the relief she wanted knowing her sister paid for what she did. She wasn't going to wiggle her way out again.

No more coming back.

Josephine hoped the vampires wouldn't be a problem. They would only complicate the situation for her. The Volturi could get involved, too, and no one wanted that headache. She couldn't even begin to imagine what those greedy old men would do if they knew what people like her were capable of. Best not to hand them a loaded gun they'd misuse.

Josephine sighed wistfully, remembering those easier times before technology took over the world when there were no cameras watching and recording, and a missing human child was no big deal. Oh, so many possibilities then. Now she had to be extra careful not to leave evidence behind that could be traced back to her. Luckily, Josephine didn't have to get her hands dirty. If she played her cards right, someone else would get _their_ hands dirty while she watched from the sidelines and enjoyed the show without putting herself in danger.

In the blink of an eye, a tall male vampire appeared before her. He was handsome, though he had weird colored eyes. Instead of red, they were golden brown. Maybe contacts? A second later, another one zoomed in to party. This one, she recognized.

"What do you want?"

Josephine was so taken aback she was momentarily rendered speechless. She couldn't remember the last time her heart nearly burst out of her chest. Was she hallucinating? "Jasper, you're... alive." The bastard was alive this whole time. He wasn't blown to bits by some cannon and buried somewhere unknown like Liliana thought when she got the brilliant idea to rope Josephine into doing the damn spell that started it all. Josephine's life was ruined over _him_. She lost everything because Liliana couldn't accept the fact that she lost this man and in the end he wasn't even dead.

"Who are you?" He growled out. The last straw for her was knowing he didn't even recognize her.

Josephine could feel herself starting to shake with rage just thinking how many years she spent wanting to die for the role she played in her sister's death. It took every ounce of self-restraint she had left in her decaying bones not to go for his life right away. He needed to be punished. Liliana needed to be punished. And as angry tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, she wanted nothing more than to see them beg for their lives like she did once upon a time. Nobody listened, of course. Josephine was all alone. But not stupid. Not like when she was seventeen. Unlike Jasper and Liliana, she did remember everything and was ready to use that against them.

"You don't remember?" He was a blank slate and that presented many possibilities.

"She knew you from before." The first vampire said, frazzled as a vampire could be. So, he could read minds. Yes, she could see it. He had a gift. Wonderful, no need to explain herself. She showed him a pretty picture of Jasper when he was human, and of Amelia the first time around when she went by Liliana Mayfield. They used to make such a cute couple, she had to admit. A pretty golden duo.

Shortly after news of Jasper's disappearance reached their families, Liliana went mad with grief. What was a woman in love with magical powers to do when someone told her the love of her life was MIA if not try to fix the problem herself? To be completely honest, Josephine had been just as surprised to find out something happened to the little soldier. He had a jacket with a protection charm woven into the fabric in his possession. As soon as they were able to get a hold of some fabric, Josephine and Liliana had tirelessly worked on the charm together to strengthen its power. It was fool-proof. By all intents and purposes, Jasper should have come back alive.

Well, not so much, as it turned out.

Liliana thought she had enough power herself to attempt bringing him back somehow when it became clear he was probably dead. Or finding his body, at least. That's all she could think about. Jasper became an obsession that transcended the rest of her family and unborn child. Josephine tried to warn her so many times. People were not supposed to come back from the dead. It wasn't meant to be. They knew the consequences and Josephine was stupid enough to go through with it when Liliana forced her hand. Nobody stood a chance when Liliana lost her marbles. The price? All their lives, including an innocent little baby and Ellie.

It was no surprise when Liliana's spell didn't work and the price was even higher than she first thought.

"Edward…" Jasper startled her back to the present. He seemed so rattled by the news that they weren't exactly complete strangers. Poor guy.

"And so you see." Josephine said softly to them as an idea came to mind.

When she first came to Forks, Josephine's main goal was to find Liliana and kill her once and for all. Josephine would finally be done with her past and could try to move on without having to wait for the next time Liliana popped up somewhere. But now Josephine felt like the universe was giving her a gift in the form of revenge to make things right for her. She could make Liliana feel the same rage and pain she felt when everything went to shit. For the first time she has Liliana and Jasper together on a silver platter. No time to waste.

Slowly, Josephine approached Jasper, briefly paralyzing him and his friend Edward when they both tried to grab her. Panic set in their eyes when they realized how easy it was for her to stop them in their tracks without even touching them. "I won't hurt you." She promised truthfully, reaching towards Jasper with both hands. "In fact, I'm going to help you remember."

Jasper's handsome face contorted into an ugly cold expression, his gaze trained hard on her as he fruitlessly struggled to make his body move again and probably rip her to pieces even as she looked like an innocent mortal girl. Josephine didn't need telepathy to know how much he wanted to kill her when his thirst for her blood was almost palpable. "Shh." Her attempt to placate him was unwelcome, met with a low grumble in his chest and bared teeth that would have once intimidated her when she was much younger and naive before she learned how to take care of herself. "Just close your eyes, and see." She pressed her thumbs lightly into his cold temples, burying her fingers in his soft honey-blonde hair and locking her eyes with his to enter his mind in search for the right memories of his human life, which he'd clearly either forgotten on purpose or misplaced when he was changed.

_In your heart the truth lies. Remember old memories and open your eyes._

Josephine released him, unafraid, and he fell to his knees with a loud thud. With the floodgates of his mind open, Jasper wouldn't be in any state to go after her. She reluctantly tore her eyes away from him to look at his friend Edward, the mind reader, who probably wished he could turn off his gift right about now if his expression was anything to go by. Josephine watched them briefly, thoroughly bemused by this turn of events before deciding that she didn't want to be there when he got himself together.

**Amelia**

"Leave me alone!" If Amelia had known that stirring the pot with the Cullens was going to earn her a miniature stalker in the form of Alice Cullen, she wouldn't have gotten involved in whatever their deal was. "I'm going home now." After all the bullshit she had to deal with, Amelia felt like she deserved to have some peace and quiet in the comfort of her own home, preferably with some hot chocolate and one of the delicious tamales her mom made for dinner a few days ago. She was two shakes short of losing her marbles and God help Alice if she stood in her way again.

Already, Alice made her waste ten minutes chatting away about silly, random topics. A weird look settled over Alice's face as she reached out to grab Amelia when she finally managed to sneak away and run towards the double doors leading to the parking lot. A wave of fresh air and, of course, cold rain hit Amelia in the face. Her car was still parked at the very front near the main doors, quite a ways from the side door she was trying to sneak out of. Great. By the time she made it to the front she'd be soaked and cold.

If she wanted to make it to the car somewhat dry, she had to run and hope for the best. She threw her hoodie over her head, held on tightly to the strap of her backpack, and made a run for it. As she rounded the corner, some movement caught her attention. On the very far side of the lot towards the woods, two figures stood seemingly arguing. Curiosity made her stop in the middle of the rain to gawk at the drama, though she couldn't quite tell who it was with the water droplets on her glasses obscuring her vision. She wiped the worst of it off with the sleeve of her jacket and blinked several times trying to adjust her vision. The shapes standing there in the rain had stopped arguing and both of them were staring in her direction. It was Jasper and Edward.

"The hell…" What were they doing there?

From far away they could almost pass off as marble statues with how still and marvelous they were. Then all hell broke loose. In the blink of an eye both were standing considerably closer to her, and in the middle of a struggle, one that sounded almost like thunder every time they clashed. Amelia couldn't tell who was who at first, her sight far too muddy to discern one figure from another. And so she stood there like a pig waiting for slaughter until Alice came up from behind her and steered her away from the crazy siblings.

Amelia was still shaking badly in the car minutes afterwards as Alice drove them away from school. Her mind couldn't quite wrap around what she saw near the woods. It was jarring to realize how utterly powerful two vampires were, and witness first hand the wreck they could create in a matter of minutes. One of them knocked over a tree from being thrown at it and then got up as if nothing happened.

"What happened back there?" Amelia was almost afraid to ask, though her curiosity won out in the end even as she clenched her hands into fists at her sides where she held onto the seat of the car. She watched Alice carefully trying to gage her reaction and tried to find an answer in her expression if she wasn't honest. Alice's angelic face remained impassive, but she was struggling to keep the worry from her eyes. "Alice?"

Alice shrugged. "Edward and Jasper had a minor disagreement, that's all."

"Minor disagreement?" In the middle of the school's parking lot? Right. Amelia wasn't stupid. "I'm a little offended that you think I'm daft. Sorry excuse aside, are they crazy? Anyone could have seen them." They were lucky Forks High wasn't too keen on their students' safety, or maybe the budget didn't allow it, because they never bothered to install security cameras anywhere. Amelia knew this because she freaked the hell out the first time she skipped class with Rachel and they walked by someone having sex in the back seat of a car. Rachel told her to shut the hell up and chill because admin cared more about their sports department than security cameras so nobody would get in trouble.

Alice's melodic chuckle almost distracted her. She was so nonchalant. Her gift to see the future sure came in handy. If they'd been seen, she could warn her family. How cool was that? Not that Amelia would ever admit it. "Nobody did, don't worry." When a bright, sunny smile appeared on the small vampire's face, Amelia realized who the real monster was. "Would you like to go shopping?"

An hour later, after hitting the only boutique in Forks that Alice deemed semi-fashionable, Amelia had a bag full of clothes she was actually excited to try later on. Not that she would outwardly show any emotions to that little psycho monster walking with her. It would encourage her, and Amelia didn't want to give the wrong impression, they still weren't friends by any means. Plus, shopping didn't equal sudden short-term memory loss. Amelia still had many questions about what happened in that parking lot.

"So, do I need to start carrying around a garlic necklace to protect myself?" she asked as they walked down Main St. back towards the parking lot nearby. The rain had slowed down to nothing more than an annoying drizzle, just enough for her hoodie to keep her sort of dry.

"What do you mean?" Alice sing sang. Playing clueless really didn't suit her.

Amelia stared at her incredulously. "Are you serious?" When they stopped at the intersection waiting for the red light, Amelia took the opportunity to get in front of Alice so she could look her in the eyes in case she tried to lie. "I want to know why I almost died. Your family promised no snacking if I remember correctly."

Alice rolled her eyes with an easy going smile, but Amelia didn't buy it. Her gut told her there was something fishy going on. These people were hiding something. "Boys will be boys, you know."

Behind her back, Amelia had managed to take off her glove and almost managed to make contact. Almost. The stupid light changed and Alice didn't waste any time slinking off down the street, laughing. Great. Was she mocking her? Because Amelia was so damn tired, sleepy, and hungry. Being treated like a moron was not at the top of her list right then.

There was no other option but crossing the street. However, Amelia was done. At the corner, she paused to call after Alice. "It's been fun and all, Alice, but this is where you and I part ways. You wanna play dumb, go ahead. I'm not listening to your bullshit. I'll find my own answers soon enough. Sayonara."

Knowing that she couldn't outrun a vampire, Amelia didn't even try. She hoped Alice wouldn't follow, which was wishful thinking. Alice matched her pace with Amelia's even though they were going in the opposite direction from where they parked the car.

"Hey, don't go." Listening to the slight panic in Alice's voice didn't make any difference to Amelia. "I can take you back to the school for your car."

Amelia scoffed. "As if. No thanks. I'm goin' to see my Dad. He'll send someone to pick up the car and take me home." Maybe he'd take her out for a couple of burgers. That late in the afternoon, Amelia would even devour something from Joy's diner without making too many faces at the double-faced woman. With some more luck she could get some Tylenol for her headache, which hadn't abated in the least.

"Amelia, please!"

Something about the way Alice pleaded with her made Amelia pause. She took a deep breath to keep herself from screaming out in frustration and then turned back around to see what the hell was wrong. _Be mindful_, she reminded herself for the hundredth time that day. _Be more zen_. "Please, what? Jesus, I swear, you and your whole family are crazy. Leave me alone! I really don't want to get involved anymore. I have bigger problems." Like making sure Lori left her alone. And the whole imprisonment in Forks thing was still in full effect, and it needed to change asap, but couldn't until she found out what the big deal was. The Cullens didn't fit into her plans for now. "If you follow me again I'll scream bloody murder right here. How would that look for you, uh?" Vampires were supposed to keep a low profile, Amelia was counting on that to be enough of a threat.

The little monster narrowed her eyes in annoyance, probably contemplating her options. She didn't seem pleased at first but nodded and backed off after a minute. _Good for her. Maybe I should learn how to play poker_. Amelia wondered if her Dad would be open to teaching her. "But be careful and go straight to your Dad's."

"None of your business what I do or not." and with that, she stalked off towards the Police Station. Halfway there, it started raining. Great. All she had to cover up with was her hoodie. Maybe her backpack would get soaked and ruined so she wouldn't have to turn in some homework. Or maybe she could actually work on said homework in a dry, cozy place like Joy's diner away from the rain; a tempting idea when it was cold and the restaurant was right in front of her. She had two options now. If she went into the diner, she'd have to play nice with Joy while she waited for her Dad and if her Mom found out she'd be a little upset. Hell, Amelia was already feeling pretty disappointed in herself for even considering it. But she wouldn't be alone and technically that wasn't breaking any rules her parents imposed.

_Don't be a wuss. It's just a little rain._

"Hey, Amelia!"

An uncharacteristically high pitched scream came out of Amelia as she jumped up a foot in the air at the sight of Joy parked next to her in the middle of the parking lot. Holy hell, Joy really was out to get her. That woman wanted to give Amelia a heart attack. Seventeen and she was going to die.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Amelia exclaimed with a hand up to her chest where her heart was beating wildly and couldn't remember whether heart disease ran in her family. It sounded like a good thing to know but she was coming up blank with the answer.

The apologetic look on Joy's face was so incredibly annoying. "Sorry." Her window was rolled down and Amelia had the strong urge to throw something at her. A very strong urge that she was only able to ignore thanks to the small voice in the back of her mind reminding her of the huge fights her parents could get into if her Dad heard her being rude to his girlfriend. The feigned earnest expression on Joy's face only made Amelia detest her even more. God, she always pretended to be nice. Where was that honesty when she decided to sleep with a married man?

A car trying to turn into the parking lot honked at them. The loud noise only served to annoy Amelia even more, yet Joy's expression didn't change at all. She just stuck her hand out her own window and waved out an apology then turned her attention back to Amelia with a full blown grin. "Hey, c'mon in! I'll whip up a burger for you and we can wait for your Dad." Without waiting for an answer, she went on to park while Amelia stood there with a look of disbelief at the woman's audacity. Who did she think she was to order her around?

It was a childish idea, but suddenly Amelia wanted to stomp her foot. Who told Joy about the burgers? That's all she wanted to know.

Once inside, Joy personally cooked up a veggie burger with all the works, even added grilled onions instead of raw, put in some peppers in there and added extra cheese. She didn't even take that long to make it. The beautiful burger was on her table in record time with a side of crispy fries and a bottle of ketchup right next to it. How could Amelia say no to that? Her mouth watered at the sight of it and broke her will to walk out of there a second later as soon as she bit into it. It was savory, and Amelia hated herself a little bit when she caught sight of the way Joy seemed so pleased with herself.

"It's good, uh?" Joy had that face, the one she made when she was going to start rambling. Amelia remembered it vividly from the first couple of times they met. It was a nervous tick, her Dad had said. And Amelia had food in her mouth so she couldn't come up with something to get her to shut up. "Andy, our cook, has this sixth sense for when to flip the burgers and when they're ready. It's like a superpower, I swear. And he has the best recipe for meatloaf! We had that for dinner last month, remember? Or veggieloaf, uh? Man, he was so excited to try that new recipe. He went to culinary school and just loves to show off. This veggie patty is his personal creation." On top of a tendency to ramble, she also couldn't keep still, apparently. Amelia kept eating, but couldn't tear her eyes away from the weird little things she was doing with the napkins by tearing them into tiny pieces and separating them into two piles. "I did the best I could, but I still think there's plenty of room for improvement!" Her hopeful smile made Amelia want to gag.

What else could she improve? The veggie loaf was amazing. The best Amelia had. Not that she would ever say that. But Joy wouldn't stop smiling. She was waiting for a reply, which Amelia gave in the form of a reluctant smile and noncommittal nod to avoid the heavy weight of the creepy enthusiasm in her eyes. What a terrible person she was for eating this woman's delicious food.

"Hey, girls."

Aaron joined them at the table and Amelia had never been more grateful to see her father. That is, until he ruffled her hair in what she imagined was meant to be affectionate but made her feel like a seven year old boy called Buddy. He only made it worse when his next stop was Joy's lips. Seriously, did he really have to do that in front of his daughter? Suddenly, her burger wasn't so good anymore. It left a weird taste in her mouth so she put it down and wiped her lips with a napkin.

"How was school today?" Her Dad asked after ordering his usual from Joy, who happily bounced away to make his dinner.

"Great." Amelia replied, sluggishly picking up a fry and dipping it into some white gravy before popping it into her mouth.

"Anything in particular you want to do this weekend?"

_Anything that doesn't involve Joy_, she wanted to say. But, of course she didn't. She didn't because it would hurt her Dad and he'd do that disappointed sigh thing followed by a pat on her arm and a whole spiel about how much he loved her and not to ever doubt it. Not something she was looking forward to. Then, on Monday, the fighting would start. It never happened when she was present, but Amelia could always tell when her parents argued. And it was usually about her. Or something she did. For some silly reason Aaron thought her mother turned her against Joy. As if. Amelia had a brain and the agency to think for herself. She was more than capable of realizing why her father wanted a divorce and moved to back to Forks so fast. Stupid Joy.

In the end, they decided to go out hiking because Joy loved hiking.

When they lived in Houston, her Dad never wanted to do anything outdoorsy. Amelia once asked him to take her camping up on Huntsville about a year before the divorce because one of her friends told her about all the deer she saw on her way there and near their campsite. His answer was a resounding no because he was tired after a long week at work. Instead, he took her to Chuck-E-Cheese for like an hour even though she told him she was too old for a big fake mouse. The pizza was shit, a crazy kid tried to bite her, and she later caught a cold because that place was a colorful cesspool of germs, but in his book he made her day. Father of the year award and all. And now, here he was, inviting her out to do all the fun things she wanted to do when she was a kid because Joy enjoyed time outdoors and it was good for her health.

Hiking was fun. Joy packed plenty of water for them like the good little girl scout she was and even made snacks. Except that she cut the crust off the sandwiches, and didn't bother to at least put the bread in the toaster so it was soggy by the time they ate them. In retrospect, she knew the bread wouldn't have stayed crispy the whole time. And she could admit it was a nice gesture on Joy's part. The woman always went out of her way to be nice, it was annoying. Did she ever get tired? How did she do everything?

"I hope you like it." Joy said looking hopeful. "I know it's not much, but we can have a nice dinner once we get back to your father's house." God, that eager expression was hard to stomach.

"It's alright, thanks." Amelia replied a little too harshly, maybe. Joy's smile fell.

All she got was a minute of peace after that. When they resumed walking, Joy suddenly got the talking bug again and Amelia almost groaned out loud.

"Listen, Amelia, I—"

Amelia still couldn't get the image of her Dad putting his arm around Joy earlier to brazenly kiss her in front of his daughter. Or the playful shoving between them as they fooled around like teenage sweethearts when they thought she wasn't paying attention. Oh, but she was. Amelia had been painfully aware of those two looking at each other with hearts in their eyes and she was so very done. This was supposed to be her weekend with her Dad. Amelia and Aaron, not Amelia, Aaron and Joy.

"No, Joy, you listen." While Aaron was busy looking around, Amelia took the opportunity to speak her mind for once. "I'm not your friend. I won't be your friend. You're just the woman dating my Dad. Your relationship is with him, not me. So, please, stop trying so hard because it's sad and annoying."

Watching the way Joy's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of the water did make her feel a little bad for being forward. Maybe she should have worded it a little different. Avoidance sounded like a good idea, so Amelia put her stuff back into her backpack and got up to ask her Dad for help stretching, too. Amelia didn't want to keep looking at Joy's bambi face. Thankfully, the rest of the hiking trip went without a hitch. Joy acted more like the grown woman she was and Amelia didn't have to listen to her parrot on. Her Dad hadn't let her bring the iPod he gave her for Christmas a couple of months ago so there was nothing to distract herself with.

Aaron was, of course, was still utterly oblivious to how wrong the picture right in front of him looked. She wondered what in the world made him think to bring his mistress and child together for a long, drizzly walk in the woods. And then an idea did come to Amelia. A crap ton of accidents could happen on a cold rainy day in the woods. Joy could accidentally slip and fall. Maybe roll her ankle? Nah. Because then Amelia would have to help her walk back to the main road and that defeated the whole purpose of making her life miserable if it would do the same to her. She should have stayed home with her Mom for the weekend, after all. They could be watching bad reality tv shows and eating junk food right about now.

On the plus side, though, she wasn't feeling so bad anymore. The throbbing headache that wouldn't go away no matter how many ibuprofen she shoved down her throat was almost completely gone. Almost. Now it only felt like a regular headache instead of having a drill burning a hole into her skull. Small blessings.

At the end of the day, Amelia was super tired. It was a long day, a long hike, and she was starving. She was also sweaty, a little muddy, and starting to feel the exertion in her legs. Oh, she was going to be so sore for the next couple of days. The idea of hiking sounded good in theory at first. But it was bad. So very bad. Next time she wanted to be outdoorsy, she should just pretend to do some yoga. After a bath, Amelia got dressed in a comfy pair of PJs and waited until everyone else went to bed. Joy was spending the night, apparently.

At around 1:30 AM, Amelia snuck downstairs. Aaron was a workaholic, he liked to bring his work home. All Amelia had to do was find the folders with the police logo on them on his desk. Or the safe, maybe. No, wait, he kept his guns there. Amelia hated guns. She didn't want to see or touch them, much less be anywhere near them. Her Dad took her to the shooting range once to teach her how to shoot so she wouldn't ever be curious enough to grab one and play with it but it backfired on him because Amelia freaked the hell out and came out of there having a panic attack. That sucked. And she had nightmares afterwards. At least Aaron never took her back there. He showed her the basics and told her not to touch his things. Did he remember that day? Is that why he kept them away when she was over?

Well, if that was the case she wasn't going to dwell on it when she had other things to worry about.

Thankfully, Amelia found what she was looking for right on top of the desk and didn't have to go rummaging through her Dad's things. He'd probably notice if she did that.

"Bingo."

Amelia glanced up and listened closely to make sure no one was coming. When the house remained silent, she turned on the desk lamp and hoped Joy didn't suddenly get thirsty in the middle of the night. Her Dad sure wasn't going to wake up once he fell asleep. He slept like that dead. If Amelia really tried, she could probably hear his snoring all the way downstairs and briefly wondered how Joy could sleep through that.

She sat down to open the file and instantly regretted it. Right there on the page was the bloated face of someone staring back at her. A girl. A young girl. Bile rose up her throat and she quickly put it away. Gross. She put her hand up to her mouth and tried not to gag. Wow, Rachel was not kidding. This was gnarly. No wonder people were freaking the hell out. After a minute or two, she took another look at it, bypassing the pictures to read the details. It was a lot of police mumbo jumbo but she could make out enough to know this was some bad crap going on. This was a magic thing—hanging, drowning, chains, what the hell? And they were all young girls her age.

Holy crap, a serial killer. In Washington. Wow. The Green River Killer was caught like three years ago and now there was another one on the loose. That was just bad luck. It made sense her parents were being paranoid. Not that she would admit it to them. She had every right to be annoyed when she was trapped in the small town of Forks with nothing to do. Stupid serial killers.

A picture caught her attention. It was the chains found around all the victims wrists. They were definitely iron and had some symbols carved into them. Someone out there knew how to stop a witch from practicing magic. But there was nothing else interesting that she could glean from the documents. They only contained the bare minimum. She wondered where the rest of the files were, like witness statements and whatever else police usually gathered. That was her Dad's job, after all. To investigate and find out stuff.

* * *

"Hey, where did you get this?"

Amelia looked up from her breakfast and saw her Mom rummaging through a paper bag by the laundry room. She debated lying for about two seconds, then realized how pointless it'd be to even attempt that with her mother who was like a hound when it came to that sort of thing, and decided to come clean. Hopefully, Ana wouldn't have a problem with Alice Cullen. Really, the chances were 50/50 there. Coming clean could either result in a grounding or a lecture. And it's not like the little shopping trip ended with them holding hands and talking about boys over cookies. Vampires weren't exactly the best company to keep.

"I, uh, went shopping after school on Friday with Alice Cullen." Her admission didn't seem to phase Ana at all who only nodded, almost to herself, and went about clearing her plate off the table.

"Did you have fun?" Amelia hummed in agreement. "That's good. I'm glad. How's school?"

Amelia pushed her huevos rancheros around on her plate, not really hungry anymore, wondering when her mother decided vampires were fluffy kittens to be petted. "Good, good." So the school didn't call after she skipped last period. Good to know. "I'm doing a thing for English, and a history project with a partner. We're working on it at the bar, you know. A handsome gentleman bought me a Vodka-cran-soda." She smiled into the rim of her coffee cup, then took a sip when her mother started laughing. "You should try it sometime. Invite the Chief."

It was no secret Ana harbored a little crush on their neighbor, Chief Swan. Amelia thought it was great, her mom deserved to be happy, and wished she would ask him out already. Somehow, Amelia didn't think Charlie would take the first step, though he was definitely interested, she was sure of it. All it took for Amelia to realize this was watching them interact one time, and it became glaringly obvious. Charlie did this thing where he was unsure of where to look, and even blushed, stumbling over his words while Ana smiled shyly up at him. Her actually smiled, the kind that reached her eyes and made those little laughing lines appear at the corners of her eyes instead of the half-grimace she usually did. Amelia would never actually mention that aloud to her mother because she valued her life and didn't want spicy salsa on everything she ate from then on.

Mentioning Charlie made Ana nervous, the plate she was washing clattered at the bottom of the sink. "Amelia!" Amelia couldn't stop giggling, which turned into full blown laughter watching her mother struggle to keep a serious face. "Stop it, please." Her eyes briefly darted over to the left where a window overlooked the house across from theirs.

"Fine, fine." Still chuckling, Amelia got up and stood next to her mom at the sink to wash her own plate. "But you really should ask him out. I'm serious, I think y'all would make a great couple."

Graduation was coming up soon. In about a year Amelia would be going off to college back in Houston and she was worried her mom would be all alone in Forks watching Joy all cozied up with Aaron at the diner or out and about in town on a daily basis. Whether her Mom was completely over her ex or not was still a mystery to Amelia. They didn't talk about it often. Or at all. Ana liked to suffer in silence, it seemed. Many times, especially after the divorce, Amelia saw her Mom looking like she wanted to cry and hoped they would talk about it, but it never happened. As soon as Amelia tried to comfort her, Ana shut down and pretended like everything was fine. Well, Amelia wasn't blind. She noticed the teary eyes, stress-induced migraines, lack of eating and short temper.

"Amelia, I—"

"C'mon, Mom." Did Ana really think Amelia was blind? "Please, you should be out there, you know, getting dates." There was no reason in the world why Ana shouldn't date. Getting someone to ask her out wouldn't be a problem. Amelia personally witnessed men flirting with her mom many times and giving her their number. A brave few outright asked her out right then and there. "You're young, beautiful…"

"... divorced." Ana muttered like it was a disease. "Not exactly prime dating material. Divorced says issues."

Amelia rolled her eyes. "So is Charlie Swan, and I've seen the way some ladies look at him." Like he was the last coke in the desert. That man had some game, and he didn't even notice or seem to care. He was always eating out alone at the diner. Sometimes a friend from La Push visited him, and that was it. His life was so simple and that's what Ana needed, simplicity and someone she could depend on. "Ask him out."

"No." Ana replied firmly, dipping her hand in the soapy water and playfully splashing Amelia in the face.

Amelia was too stunned to say anything, then splashed her mom back and they went on like that a couple more times, giggling like little girls and having a good time. This playful side of her mom was something she'd missed dearly. Before, when they were all together, Ana was less stern and more enthusiastic. More alive, it seemed. Now, Ana just seemed to go through the motions of life. She went to work, shopped for groceries, paid bills, and slept whenever she could. Since the divorce, Ana's entire life revolved around Amelia. That couldn't be healthy, especially because Amelia wasn't the most interesting daughter to begin with. Didn't her mom get tired of always thinking about her? Ana needed a life. Asap.

All day, Amelia couldn't stop thinking about all the sacrifices her Mom had to make in the last couple of years since the divorce. Yeah, Amelia was still pretty upset for being confined to Forks only, though not so much now that she found out the murder thing was actually serious. She was also starting to feel guilty for getting so upset when Ana first grounded her. Or for the even bigger tantrum she threw when they had to move to Forks a year ago. Their circumstances on their own out there weren't exactly the best, but they made it work. Ish. They had a roof over their heads, even if said roof was shared with another single mom and her two toddlers who ran around screaming their heads off until their sugar rush faded sometime around midnight. Amelia's grades suffered a little because she had to babysit them for a couple of hours after school until the evening when their mother got back from work to make them dinner, which honestly turned her off from ever having kids, but she could live with that.

Up until that point she had never even been out of state, and didn't want to follow her estranged father who abandoned them. So what if Amelia sometimes wanted to do the Llorona thing and drown those little monsters in the bathtub after one of them took off his diaper and decided to spread his crap all over the coffee table while his sister colored the walls with a crayon? She didn't, thanks to the counselor who taught her mindful meditation to deal with her parents divorce in case Amelia suddenly got 'bad thoughts' swirling around in her head—apparently that's what kids with issues did—and became a better person for it. High road and all. Eating mac n' cheese for dinner most nights and babysitting recalcitrant toddlers who made her want to smash her head against a wall repeatedly until she was unconscious just to stop listening to all the crying and whining was still better than facing the fact that her Dad had left them for another woman.

* * *

**This update is super late but I was busy with school so here's an extra long chapter. Review and tell me your thoughts! It was a hard chapter to edit so I look forward to reading what you think. **


End file.
